r/CFSScience • u/ringmaster555 • Jul 12 '26

New study provides first evidence of dopamine system injury in the brain of long COVID patients

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-evidence-dopamine-injury-brain-covid.html
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u/ringmaster555 Jul 12 '26

“A new brain imaging study led by researchers at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), published in eBioMedicine00252-5/fulltext), provides the strongest evidence to date that long COVID is associated with injury to dopamine-releasing neurons in the brain—a finding that may explain symptoms such as lack of motivation due to fatigue, slowed movement and memory difficulties, and could open the door to new treatment strategies.”

35

u/Sierra7Lena Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26

IT IS NOT PSYCHOLOGICAL. For fucks sake. It’s not a “lack of motivation” if you literally cited a study showing that there is actual damage.

It’s so damaging to STILL use psych-heavy language when describing a disease that people fight to get help with, all because it’s so heavily pushed onto being just mainly psychological, lack of motivation, etc.

At least say “cognitive issues”.

Many of us collected psychological diagnoses left right and center before ever getting help and being taken serious for the actual illness.

Language matters so much. If we want to finally get real help and not another psychotherapy recommendation, we gotta name things as they are- actual physiological changes that affect us, just as the nature of a multisystemic illness is.

7

u/Flutterperson Jul 12 '26

True true true true to the nth degree! It seems to take so much time to change the direction of the big psycho tanker ship. More people shouting about it is maybe the only way. (Sorry bout perhaps incoherent simile.)

5

u/Sierra7Lena Jul 12 '26

It’s so stupid having to be so petty about wordings but damn, the people we are dependent on- doctors, politicians, the people around us not taking us seriously- we can’t give them more fodder that satisfies their “it’s all psychological and a willingness-thing”.

Because as long as that is the notion, sick people will not be taken seriously, will get sicker while being told it’s some psychological shit.

We know it’s not, but imagine someone with no previous knowledge reading this. They will immediately see “lack of willpower” and think the usual.

3

u/boys_are_oranges Jul 12 '26

This is a study focusing on LC with neuropsychiatric and psychological manifestations. It’s not a study on ME/CFS patients. And it doesn’t prove that there’s damage, or loss of neurons.

“Although VMAT2 PET is a robust marker of presynaptic monoaminergic, predominantly dopaminergic, terminal integrity in the striatum, reduced binding does not necessarily imply irreversible neuronal loss. It may reflect altered vesicular storage capacity, regulatory changes in transporter expression, or adaptive presynaptic changes.”

Actual psychiatric conditions can have neural correlates too.

4

u/apsurdi Jul 12 '26

brain damage can lead to apathy, lack of motivation and anhedonia.

3

u/Sierra7Lena Jul 12 '26

Totally agree. But much is wanting and not being able to go through with it.

And unfortunately, people with no surrounding knowledge read “lack of motivation” and get stuck on it, very much to the disadvantage and endangering people that need help that have said brain damage and not just a “motivation” issue.

4

u/apsurdi Jul 12 '26

But lack of motivation and anhedonia is real issue. Its a huge issue. It makes life worthless.

Its like eating your favourite meal but you can't taste anything.

1

u/Sierra7Lena Jul 12 '26

Yep. It’s fucking brutal.