Brain Stimulation May Be The Solution To Long COVID Brain Fog
With each new strain of COVID-19, we are learning more about the long-term effects of the virus. Long COVID describes a set of symptoms that someone may be experience after they have recovered from the virus. Long COVID symptoms can present at any time after recovery and can persist for any length of time. According to the American Medical Association (AMA), 15-80% of patients will experience long COVID symptoms, even if they had little to no symptoms when they were diagnosed with COVID-19.
COVID-19 can cause damage to the organs of the body, leading to a variety of long COVID symptoms, such as loss of smell, muscle pain, and difficulty sleeping. However, brain fog has been reported to be the most confusing symptom reported by those who have long COVID, who are sometimes referred to as "long haulers." Long haulers report having difficulty with remembering things, maintaining focus on simple tasks, and feelings of confusion (via UC Davis Health).
Increasing blood flow to the brain may reduce brain fog
Finding a solution to improve long COVID brain fog is important in helping patients get back to a pre-COVID state of health. There is promise in a treatment that improves brain fog symptoms in long haul COVID patients. In a 2021 article published in the Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience Journal, researchers studied the use of non-invasive microcurrent stimulation therapy to reduce cognitive impairment in long haulers.
In the study, researchers used non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) to increase blood flow to the brain, as COVID-19 has been known to reduce blood flow. Two female long COVID patients were treated with NIBS for 10-13 days. Both patients showed improvements in cognitive functions, such as memory, attention, and language comprehension.
If you are experiencing lingering symptoms of brain fog after you've recovered from COVID-19, reach out to your doctor. Your doctor can offer other solutions for clearing the fog until more research is conducted on using NIBS for long COVID brain fog.