Brain Fog Likely Caused by Brain Inflammation – It’s Not Just “All in Their Head”

April 12, 2022

“Brain fog” has been documented as a neurologic and long-term symptom plaguing those with some autoimmune diseases and more recently those with prior COVID-19 infection. A team of researchers presented their findings last week at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 2022 Annual Meeting where they discussed the neurological implications of long-haul covid infection.

Their study involved measuring the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels in patients with prior COVID-19 infection. They discovered that patients with cognitive post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) had higher levels of inflammatory markers in their CSF while those without cognitive impairments had normal CSF. These findings support the biological basis of the brain fog symptom, which is both validating and helpful because cognitive PASC does not currently have any diagnostic tests or treatments.