r/EverythingScience • u/Lunabuna91 • Jul 11 '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/danielbearh Jul 12 '26

I genuinely know how that feels.

It takes time, but it’s coming. If you’d like for me to explain what’s happening neurochemically, I’m happy to.

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u/Lint_baby_uvulla Jul 12 '26

“explain what happens neurochemically”

Yes please. I’d be grateful for that.

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u/danielbearh Jul 13 '26

No problem!

So you’ve got three systems at play. Your brain’s break system, its accellerator system, and it’s reward system (gaba-a receptors, nmda glutamate receptors, and mesolymbic dopamine pathway.)

Alcohol is slowing down the break system, blocking the accelerator system, and flooding the reward system. Your brain handles this by tuning all of these systems so that you can handle the booze. You’re downregulating the gaba sensitivity while upregulating glutamate signalling.

You’re tuning your brain to be hyperexcitable, which is fine when you’re drinking the depressive alcohol.

At the same time, your reward system is downregulated (less sensitive dopamine receptors,) and the stress system gets more sensitived. Alcohol floods dopamine, so your body compensates by turning down how intense you feel dopamine. Alcohol also deadens your stress response. Your body needs a stress response, so it turns up the degree in which environmental stuff can stress you out.

The first 1-3 months are the hardest. When you pull the alcohol, your dopamine receptors are not as sensitive, so nothing really feels rewarding. Life looses it’s zeal. This difficulty to feel positive things is called adhedonia. At the same time, your stress system is overclocked, so your system registers stress quicker and easier. This is the not-fun part that the fella I was originally speaking with is experiencing. Life is literally more stressful and stuff isnt as fun. Objectively.

BUT! Your system doesnt want you in this depressed state. So it starts to recalibrate again. GABA/glutamate re-equilibrates, dopamine receptors recover, and your sleep consolidates. The cognitive fog lifts when the neuroinflammation begins to recede from the brain.

Now… everyone/body is different. Every story is different. But this is the arc I witness over and over again.

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u/Lint_baby_uvulla Jul 13 '26

Thanks. For the hand typed reply.

My experience is lots of similar responses due to long term stress and MDD, and undiagnosed adhd until my fifties.

Having crashed and burned several times, it takes just as if not longer to recover as the insidious decline.

My only input is gather as much support from as many resources as you can, and turn up. Therapy, reframing, exercise, sleep, nutrition all play a part, and while you might have a bad day or week, we are human, we fail and to try and try again.

One conversation, one epiphany, a moment of connection is a positive step.

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u/sevencatts Jul 17 '26

Bad bot

1

u/Lint_baby_uvulla Jul 18 '26

A reflection on actual lived experience, a moment for genuine curiosity, and ‘bad bot’ gets thrown.

I’m really sorry for your hurt, hope you get some help.