Brain fog in long COVID: A glutamatergic hypothesis with astrocyte dysfunction accounting for brain PET glucose hypometabolism, 2023, Guedj et al

Brain fog in long COVID: A glutamatergic hypothesis with astrocyte dysfunction accounting for brain PET glucose hypometabolism

Abstract
Brain [18F]FDG-PET scans have revealed a glucose hypometabolic pattern in patients with long COVID. This hypometabolism might reflect primary astrocyte dysfunction. Astrocytes play a key role in regulating energy metabolism to support neuronal and synaptic activity, especially activity involving glutamate as the main neurotransmitter. Neuroinflammation is one of the purported mechanisms to explain brain damage caused by infection with SARS-CoV-2. Microglial activation can trigger reactive astrogliosis, contributing to neuroinflammatory changes. These changes can disturb glutamatergic homeostasis, ultimately leading to cognitive fatigue, which has been described in other clinical situations.

We hypothesize that glutamatergic dysregulation related to astrocyte dysfunction could be the substrate of brain PET hypometabolism in long COVID patients with brain fog. Based on these elements, we propose that therapeutics targeting astrocytic glutamate regulation could help mitigate long COVID neurological manifestations.


https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306987723001822

 

If it was easy to get astrocyte modulating therapeutics, I'd give them a try, just to see what effects they had on my ME.