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HealthQuiet 4d · day 10

New brain scans show dopamine nerve loss in long COVID patients

PET imaging study finds 16–20% fewer dopamine nerve terminals in brain regions tied to motivation, memory and movement, giving long COVID brain fog a physical marker for the first time.

newest coverage 3d agosummary written 9d ago14 pieces170 likes & upvotes12 comments NewswiresMastodonGoogle News

What to know

  • PET imaging found 16–20% lower density of dopamine-releasing nerve terminals in long COVID patients' brains, giving brain fog its first objective biological marker.
  • The reductions correlate closely with specific symptoms: memory problems, slowed movement, and loss of motivation, in distinct brain regions.
  • It remains unclear whether the nerve damage is reversible; some patients may recover with exercise while others may need targeted treatment to overcome ongoing inflammation.
  • The finding builds on a 2023 study by the same team showing brain inflammation in the same regions, suggesting inflammation and nerve damage may be linked.

“The definite strength of the study is the strong relationship to important symptoms, and it’s also a clear interpretation that this marker is low in people who have these symptoms.”

Jeffrey Meyer, Study lead, University of Toronto · Fortune ↗ · Sep 13

Jeffrey Meyer Psychiatry professor, University of Toronto; study lead

New brain scans show dopamine nerve loss in long COVID patients
Fortune

How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 6 pieces in 3h at Sep 14, 2 PM; 14 pieces over 10 days (7 articles · 7 posts) Sep 14, 2 PM — 6 pieces · 6 articles — Google News 4, Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Sep 14, 5 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 14, 8 PM — quietSep 14, 11 PM — quietSep 15, 2 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 15, 5 AM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Google News 1, Mastodon 1Sep 15, 8 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 15, 11 AM — quietSep 15, 2 PM — quietSep 15, 5 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 15, 8 PM — quietSep 15, 11 PM — quietSep 16, 2 AM — quietSep 16, 5 AM — quietSep 16, 8 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 16, 11 AM — quietSep 16, 2 PM — quietSep 16, 5 PM — quietSep 16, 8 PM — quietSep 16, 11 PM — quietSep 17, 2 AM — quietSep 17, 5 AM — quietSep 17, 8 AM — quietSep 17, 11 AM — quietSep 17, 2 PM — quietSep 17, 5 PM — quietSep 17, 8 PM — quietSep 17, 11 PM — quietSep 18, 2 AM — quietSep 18, 5 AM — quietSep 18, 8 AM — quietSep 18, 11 AM — quietSep 18, 2 PM — quietSep 18, 5 PM — quietSep 18, 8 PM — quietSep 18, 11 PM — quietSep 19, 2 AM — quietSep 19, 5 AM — quietSep 19, 8 AM — quietSep 19, 11 AM — quietSep 19, 2 PM — quietSep 19, 5 PM — quietSep 19, 8 PM — quietSep 19, 11 PM — quietSep 20, 2 AM — quietSep 20, 5 AM — quietSep 20, 8 AM — quietSep 20, 11 AM — quietSep 20, 2 PM — quietSep 20, 5 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 20, 8 PM — quietSep 20, 11 PM — quietSep 21, 2 AM — quietSep 21, 5 AM — quietSep 21, 8 AM — quietSep 21, 11 AM — quietSep 21, 2 PM — quietSep 21, 5 PM — quietSep 21, 8 PM — quietSep 21, 11 PM — quietSep 22, 2 AM — quietSep 22, 5 AM — quietSep 22, 8 AM — quietSep 22, 11 AM — quietSep 22, 2 PM — quietSep 22, 5 PM — quietSep 22, 8 PM — quietSep 22, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 2 AM — quietToday, 5 AM — quiet 1–2
Sep 15Sep 16Sep 17Sep 18Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22yesterdaynow · 8:53 AM ET
  1. 2

    Study findings circulate on social media

    A summary of the PET imaging findings was shared on Mastodon, describing the 16–20% VMAT2 reductions in brain regions tied to motivation, movement, memory, planning and apathy.

    • MJmusicinears@mastodon.world

      A study using PET brain scans found people with Long COVID had significantly lower levels of VMAT2, a protein involved in dopamine signalling, compared with healthy people. Reductions of 16–20% were found in brain regions involved in motivation, movement, memory, planning and apathy. 

      MJmusicinears@mastodon.worldMastodon9d ago49▲view on Mastodon ↗
    2 more of the top 3 · 6 posts in this stretch
    • stefan@stefanbohacek.online

      "The dopamine loss is different from ordinary dips in mood or motivation, Meyer said. It reflects an actual reduction in the density of nerve terminals, not simply lower dopamine output from nerves that remain intact. Whether that’s reversible is still unclear." https:// fortune.com/2026/09/14/long-co…

      stefan@stefanbohacek.onlineMastodon8d ago21▲view on Mastodon ↗
    • rchusid@universeodon.com

      Investigation of relationship between fatigue, cognitive performance and brain blood flow following Covid. # COVID # LongCovid https:// medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09 -brain-blood-linked-fatigue-covid.html

      rchusid@universeodon.comMastodon7d ago8▲view on Mastodon ↗
    all of them →
  2. 1

    Fortune details findings and prospects for targeted treatments

    Fortune's report lays out how the dopamine nerve loss differs from ordinary mood dips, notes uncertainty over whether damage is reversible, and quotes Meyer on the potential for future targeted treatments.

    “Having that information puts us in a position to do a lot more studies that are targeted in this area, and hopefully develop new cures that aren’t going to be that far away.”
    — Jeffrey Meyer
  3. background

    Study finds up to 20% less dopamine nerve density in long COVID brains — Using PET imaging of VMAT2, a protein on dopamine-releasing nerve terminals, researchers measured 24 long COVID patients against 24 healthy controls and found reductions ranging from 16% to 20% across the striatum, correlating with specific symptoms like memory loss, slowed movement and apathy.

  4. background

    Meyer's team finds brain inflammation in long COVID patients — An earlier study from the same University of Toronto group found elevated inflammation in brain regions later shown to have dopamine nerve loss, measuring a different protein found on inflammatory cells.

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 2 outlets What should clinicians know about “brain fog” from Long COVID?

    first by NeurologyLive, 9d ago · also Fortune

    1 more headline
  2. 1 outlet Brain fog, fatigue and slow movement: Study finds clue to long COVID

    first by The Eastleigh Voice, 9d ago

    1 more headline

and 1 smaller piece

What people are saying 2 voices from 1 site · best of 6 · verbatim