Tag: immune system and brain function

In the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic, a perplexing phenomenon has emerged that continues to baffle scientists, physicians, and patients alike: the lingering cognitive disturbances known colloquially as "brain fog." While many individuals recover from the respiratory symptoms of COVID-19 within weeks, a growing subset report ongoing issues that are neurological rather than physical. These problems include difficulty concentrating, memory lapses, slowed thinking, and a general sense that their cognitive faculties have been dulled. This experience, often referred to as "COVID foggy brain" or simply "COVID brain," is now recognized as a hallmark feature of long COVID—a condition that persists for months after initial infection. But why does COVID cause brain fog? What mechanisms are at play, and how can these symptoms be addressed or treated? Emerging research offers a complex and evolving picture, one that links inflammation, vascular damage, immune dysregulation, and even direct viral invasion of the brain to the constellation of symptoms that define post-COVID brain fog. Understanding this phenomenon is not only essential for guiding treatment but also for helping millions who are struggling to make sense of their altered cognitive landscape. The question of why the brain is not working the same after COVID has become central to the broader exploration of long COVID's impact.