Covid and the brain: A neurological health crisis

Brain fog. Memory lapses. Difficulties focusing or sustaining attention. All these cognitive issues have plagued some who have otherwise recovered from a bout of Covid-19. In this video, Stanford neurologist Michelle Monje describes her work showing how even mild respiratory infections with the SARS-CoV-2 virus may lead to lingering problems with the brain.

Monje, who has long treated and studied cancer patients with similar symptoms following chemotherapy, says that the damage isn’t necessarily caused by the virus itself. Instead, her work suggests that inflammatory molecules released in the lungs of someone with Covid may trigger a reaction of immune cells in the brain.

These brain cells, called microglia, then start a cascade of signals that alter the behavior of other brain cells, eventually slowing communication between neurons. The good news, Monje says, is that the similarities to what she calls “chemobrain” may mean that many of these persistent cognitive problems will improve with time, just as chemobrain does.

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[PeaceJourney...]

Covid March 2020. It destroyed my 35 year Healthcare career, dulled my intellectual abilities,
fractured my emotional health, shattered my dreams of retirement, lost my home, family, friends, pets, garden and most of my possessions...in return it gave me myriad health issues, continuous exhaustion, pain, nightmares, and seizures.
I am lost in the cracks of the failure of the systems...

[mommyjordyandjilli]

My 50 year old husband had severe Covid pneumonia and was hospitalized twice. He now has lung nodules. It’s like covid aged him 30 years. It’s like he’s 80 years old now. His memory is terrible, depression, confusion, horrible brain fog, has a bad tremor now. He can hardly write now. Even he can’t read his own writing now. He can’t type on a computer keyboard or cell phone keyboard because his hands shake so bad. Covid ruined his and my life. Not only this but it killed my healthy 71 year old mother. Covid has ruined my life, my husband’s life and stole my beloved mom from our family. 😭

[wodnastj]

Far more folks showing much more aggression, impatience, anger, frustration than ever before 😢

[Slap_it_in]

The health community needs to stand up abd recognize this as a whole. People are suffering and have no one to turned to. Some doctors flat-out deny this is even happening. It's really sad how long this is taking to help people.

[susanoffutt]

I've recently had Covid. The overwhelming depression and sense of gloom and anxiety was so terrible. I really felt like I was losing my mind.

[FriendofDorothy]

Has anyone noticed that mistakes are being made a lot these days just in the course of doing routine business with various companies and businesses? This has been happening for at least the past 2-3 years and is still very noticeable. I'm an older person, and its particularly noticeable in healthcare. I chalked this up to the general trauma and distraction of pandemic but now I am beginning to wonder if there are just loads of employees who are fumbling in the workplace due to having had CV. If so, this is another layer of sadness to this whole ordeal we are all experiencing.

[fbbWaddell]

I have a friend who is a school teacher. She was saying back in 2021 that children who missed school due to covid all came back with brain fog and had difficulty learning for upwards of a month after returning to school post quarantine. This was her observation in her own classroom.

[Ormy-]

A study should be done of those experiencing neurological abnormalities with people who were jabbed experiencing this, and those un-jabbed. Very curious.

[brittanykannon]

I had COVID early in the pandemic. March 2020. Even now I have a persistent “brain fog”. Even what I would call “post stroke” like impairments to my thought process. What scares me, as a COVID unit nurse, is what I have seen in my patients. There are many that cannot process even some of the simplest information during their admissions and at discharge. Young or old, COVID impacts their ability to process information. It shows no mercy. Even worse, many of the admissions with COVID, are fully vaccinated, and have had boosters. This virus has had a deep impact on humanity that I feel we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg at this time.

[kristideshazo-ham]

It’s been so hard to deal with post COVID DISEASE 🦠 and menopause symptoms at the same time.

[des]

I have never seen so many 20 year Olds with blood clots, in my 15 years of working at a Pharmacy 😢

[shadowsidesoamplified]

Had covid 4 times. Not only cognitive issue but also mental health issues, derealizations, panic attacks etc. there needs to be more focus on this

[markknight]

Finally someone has explained exactly what I am experiencing. The levels of frustration when you’re searching for a word in your mind and no matter how hard you try you just can’t find it, yet you know it’s there because you’ve used it a thousand times before.

[catalinadelarosa]

Had severe Covid and was hospitalized for a month. During confinement I asked my sister why our father had not visited me. She answered that our father died more than 10 years ago. Then 2 months after recovery, I woke up not knowing who was sleeping on my bed. It was my husband. There would be days where I would forget if I had eaten or taken a bath. Sometimes in the middle of doing something, I would pause and ask myself, what am I doing, what am I thinking, .... These are but some of my brain fog experiences.

[davidrarick]

I’ve been a long Covid patient for about 20 months now. I swear to god the only thing I can do is cry when I’m by myself because the brain fog and anxiety is just so overwhelming. I just want my life back at this point

[lindawheeler]

I had COVID in Feb 2019 but I was affected by brain fog and joint pain after my 2nd COVID vaccine in 2021. I was a teacher and had to retire because of the affects. I have been informed as of Nov 2022 that I have symptoms of Alzheimers and have been put on medication to help me concentrate. I had no problems before I got the vaccines. Someone needs to be held accountable for what has been done to the people.

[wentli]

I had covid a few months back and I've not felt the same since. I'm tired all the time, can't remember things, go blank every so often and have lost all motivation to do anything.

[reynasteinhaus]

I was hospitalized for covid July last year and came close to being intubated. After I recovered I was sent home with oxygen support for another month, and suffered with these brain symptoms. I fasted for 5 days, drank water only and my symptoms went away. Before my fast, I felt as if I was mentally impaired and was the scariest feeling to not be able to speak because I couldn't put two words together. I couldn't think!! I am so grateful that I healed! I feel like myself again!

[JessicaJLandi]

Wouldn't it be nice to know the truth about covid and the covid shot?

[rebamoon]

I've had fibromyalgia for 35 years, and I can tell you that having had Covid on top of that is overwhelming. I'm an RN whose career was cut short because of brain fog, memory impairment. etc. My heart goes out to people who were fully functioning with careers and a full life, who now are walking zombies. That's what it feels like...walking dead.