Brain scans of 24 people with long COVID showed significantly lower levels of a marker tied to dopamine-releasing nerve endings than scans of healthy volunteers, and the pattern of loss tracked with patients' symptoms, researchers at Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) reported. The study appeared in eBioMedicine, and CAMH publicized the findings on Sept. 21 along with plans for a clinical trial testing whether boosting dopamine function helps.
For the many people living with fatigue, brain fog, and low motivation after COVID-19, the study offers something they have sought for years: a measurable biological signal behind symptoms that standard tests often miss. It does not prove that dopamine damage causes long COVID, and it does not change treatment today.
