Unraveling COVID-19 Brain Fog: New Study Pinpoints Immune Culprit

Research during the COVID-19 pandemic found that 10-30% of people experienced cognitive impairments like brain fog, which led to the discovery of a specific protein, Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), driving these changes. A study by Western and Washington University demonstrated that vaccination might reduce such cognitive symptoms by decreasing brain inflammation and IL-1β levels, showing promise for lessening memory loss impacts.

Western professor Dr. Robyn Klein co-authored a study identifying a particular protein that seems to be responsible for memory loss linked to COVID-19.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, between 10 to 30 percent of the general population has suffered from some kind of cognitive impairment caused by the virus, such as difficulty concentrating, brain fog, or memory loss. This prompted a group of researchers to investigate the underlying mechanisms of these issues and identify a specific protein responsible for these cognitive achanges.

A new study published in Nature Immunology, led by researchers at Western and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, also looked at how vaccination may help reduce the impacts of memory loss following COVID-19 infections.