As of: February 23, 2024, 9:30 a.m
By: Kathrin Reikowski
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Nerve cells in the brain: According to US scientists, Corona has an impact on the release of dopamine in the brain.
© Sergey Nivens via www.imago-images.de
Depressive mood after a corona infection: US scientists have proven that there could be a connection through brain cells.
New York – Longcovid patients can suffer from brain damage – this has been known for a long time.
The reasons for Longcovid can be varied.
US researchers have now investigated one clue in more detail in a study: They examined what effects the virus can have on body cells - and discovered abnormalities in connection with the release of dopamine in brain cells.
Dopamine is one of the chemical messengers used to transmit information in the brain.
Dopamine is produced and released in a small collection of nerve cells in the midbrain - especially when a person experiences something unexpectedly positive.
Endorphins are then released in a part of the reward system in the brain, the nucleus accumbens.
These have an opium-like effect and make you happy.
The dopamine, which itself reaches the frontal brain, causes increased concentration and learning ability.
Effects of coronavirus on dopamine release
A coronavirus infection is often accompanied by headaches, as is the case with flu-like illnesses.
However, the loss of smell and taste are also known symptoms of coronavirus.
Research results, among other things, indicate that something could also change in the brain, according to which sick people can still have after-effects six months after the infection.
This also includes a higher likelihood of psychiatric disorders.
Nevertheless, the study authors were surprised by the findings: the study examined cells from the lungs, heart and pancreas - but the researchers only found an abnormality in dopamine neurons in the brain.
It was discovered that neurons infected with the virus change: they no longer release dopamine, but instead send out chemical signals that trigger inflammation.
As the only cells examined, they would also lose the ability to grow and divide.
Study shows brain problems after corona disease: neurons no longer release dopamine
Only about five percent of the cells exposed to the coronavirus would become infected.
But, says co-author Shuibing Chen, “Even a small group of infected cells can have potentially serious effects.”
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About the study:
The study examined brain cells from autopsies of deceased people with and without coronavirus disease as well as brain cells cultured in the laboratory from donations from deceased people.
“We show that midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are selectively susceptible and permissive to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection,” write the study authors in the summary of their results.
The study comes from the Center for Genomic Health in New York.
It was published in the specialist magazine Cell.com.
During the corona pandemic, there were also findings that the stress caused by lockdown and existential fears made broken heart syndrome, which is also related to dopamine, more likely.
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