Researchers from Japan used a novel brain imaging technique called [11C]K-2 AMPAR PET imaging to investigate the biological basis of “brain fog” in Long COVID patients, a cognitive impairment affecting over 80% of those with the condition. The team, led by Professor Takuya Takahashi from Yokohama City University, compared brain scans of 30 Long COVID patients to 80 healthy individuals and discovered a widespread increase in AMPA receptor density throughout patients’ brains. This elevated receptor density directly correlated with the severity of cognitive symptoms and was also associated with inflammatory markers. The imaging data could distinguish patients from healthy controls with 100% sensitivity and 91% specificity, suggesting AMPA receptors could serve as diagnostic biomarkers. These findings provide a biological explanation for Long COVID brain fog and identify AMPA receptors as potential therapeutic targets, with drugs that suppress their activity possibly offering treatment options.
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