Brain Fog: a Narrative Review of the Most Common Mysterious Cognitive Disorder in COVID-19

It has been more than three years since COVID-19 impacted the lives of millions of people, many of whom suffer from long-term effects known as long-haulers. Notwithstanding multiorgan complaints in long-haulers, signs and symptoms associated with cognitive characteristics commonly known as “brain fo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Molecular neurobiology 2024-12, Vol.61 (12), p.9915-9926
Main Author: Aghajani Mir, Mahsa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astrocytes
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Brain - pathology
Brain - virology
Cell Biology
Cognition Disorders - etiology
Cognition Disorders - virology
Cognitive Dysfunction - physiopathology
Cognitive Dysfunction - virology
COVID-19
COVID-19 - complications
COVID-19 - psychology
Humans
Immunological memory
Long term memory
Long-term effects
Microglia
Neurobiology
Neurology
Neurosciences
Pathogenesis
SARS-CoV-2
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Tau protein
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Summary:It has been more than three years since COVID-19 impacted the lives of millions of people, many of whom suffer from long-term effects known as long-haulers. Notwithstanding multiorgan complaints in long-haulers, signs and symptoms associated with cognitive characteristics commonly known as “brain fog” occur in COVID patients over 50, women, obesity, and asthma at excessive. Brain fog is a set of symptoms that include cognitive impairment, inability to concentrate and multitask, and short-term and long-term memory loss. Of course, brain fog contributes to high levels of anxiety and stress, necessitating an empathetic response to this group of COVID patients. Although the etiology of brain fog in COVID-19 is currently unknown, regarding the mechanisms of pathogenesis, the following hypotheses exist: activation of astrocytes and microglia to release pro-inflammatory cytokines, aggregation of tau protein, and COVID-19 entry in the brain can trigger an autoimmune reaction. There are currently no specific tests to detect brain fog or any specific cognitive rehabilitation methods. However, a healthy lifestyle can help reduce symptoms to some extent, and symptom-based clinical management is also well suited to minimize brain fog side effects in COVID-19 patients. Therefore, this review discusses mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis that may contribute to brain fog, as well as some approaches to providing therapies that may help COVID-19 patients avoid annoying brain fog symptoms.
ISSN:0893-7648
1559-1182
1559-1182
DOI:10.1007/s12035-023-03715-y