Study Links Long COVID to 18% Dopamine Nerve Loss in 24 Patients
Updated
Updated · PsyPost · Jul 30
Study Links Long COVID to 18% Dopamine Nerve Loss in 24 Patients
3 articles · Updated · PsyPost · Jul 30
Summary
PET scans of 24 adults with long COVID found about 18% lower dopamine-terminal marker levels in the striatum than in healthy controls, pointing to measurable brain changes behind persistent neuropsychiatric symptoms.
Lower signals tracked symptom severity by region: ventral striatum with apathy and cognitive failures, dorsal putamen with slower finger-tapping, and dorsal caudate with worse delayed memory recall.
The study suggests COVID-related inflammation or viral vulnerability in dopamine neurons may underlie the deficits, while blood biomarkers showed no meaningful correlation with the brain-scan findings.
Researchers say the results could support trials of dopamine-boosting drugs, and Meyer said he is close to approval for a repurposed-medicine study targeting memory and motivational problems.
The authors and an accompanying commentary cautioned the case-control study was small, captured one time point, and cannot prove neuron death or generalize to all long COVID patients.
If a PET scan shows reduced dopamine-terminal signals after mild COVID, does that reveal reversible dysfunction or lasting brain injury?
Could long COVID actually include a distinct dopamine-related subtype—and who might benefit from future dopamine-boosting or anti-inflammatory treatment?