Brain Disruption Lingers Weeks After COVID-19 Infection, Hamster Study Reveals
New research indicates significant brain disruption can persist for weeks following a COVID-19 infection, even with a low viral load, offering a potential biological explanation for long COVID symptoms. A study conducted on hamsters, published recently, demonstrates the virus’s ability to infiltrate the brainstem and impair dopamine production, leading to dysregulation of neuronal genes – changes comparable to those seen in neurodegenerative diseases.
The findings, led by Guilherme Dias de Melo, represent the first evidence in an animal model of the long-term biological consequences of COVID-19.This challenges the notion that long COVID is solely a functional or psychological disorder, identifying “precise biological markers” detectable even after the initial infection has subsided. Approximately 4% of French adults, roughly around 2.5 million people, reported suffering from long COVID at the end of 2022, according to Public Health France, while the World Health Institution estimates the pandemic has caused over 20 million deaths globally, with long COVID posing a “major medical and economic challenge” for years to come.
The study details how the virus houses itself within the brainstem, continuing to infect cells and impairing dopamine production – a crucial element in emotional balance and memory. Researchers observed a “dysregulation of neuronal genes,” mirroring processes seen in neurodegenerative conditions. Importantly, these effects were visible even with a low viral load, suggesting the severity of initial infection doesn’t necessarily correlate with the extent of long-term neurological impact.
“For the first time, in the animal model, the long-term biological consequences” of COVID-19 infection have been highlighted, according to Dias de Melo. The research adds to a growing body of evidence pointing to the persistence of the virus in organs, lasting immune system impairment, and maladaptive autoimmune responses as potential drivers of long COVID. While conducted on hamsters, the study’s conclusions offer “crucial leads” for understanding and ultimately treating the long-term effects of the virus in humans.
