We Just Got More Evidence That Long COVID Is a Brain Injury

The exact nature of long COVID is still coming to light, but we just got some of the best evidence yet that this debilitating condition stems from a brain injury.

Using high-resolution scanners, researchers at the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford have shown microscopic, structural abnormalities in the brainstems of those recovering from COVID-19.

Signs of brain inflammation were present up to 18 months after first contracting the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

“We show that the brainstem is a site of vulnerability to long-term effects of COVID-19, with persistent changes evident in the months after hospitalization,” the authors of the study conclude.

https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awae215

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  • GratefullyGodless@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    I wonder if you’re on to something there. What if they do get a hit of dopamine every time they think they’re being clever even though they’re completely wrong, and so they deliberately lean towards all the crazy that makes them think they’re being clever just for the dopamine? That would explain a lot about the MAGA crowd, as they are actually physically addicted to the crazy in that case,

    • scarabic@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Yes and there is one other aspect. When they get into this conspiracy shit, there is a whole community of people ready to welcome them. They are congratulated for seeing the light and joining the movement. This fulfills a social need for a lot of these people, who are lonely or in some cases estranged from family.

      This process of feeling like you’ve drawn back the curtain on life, and, in the same stroke found “your people” is incredibly exhilarating to them. It’s like a whole new day in their lives. And THAT’S why they’ll defend their crap beliefs to the death. Because giving them up means going back to the humdrum world where they are just a nobody again.

      • Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        There’s also a large community of conspiracy haters ready to welcome anyone who believes anything an authority figure says. They are congratulated for seeing the light and joining the movement. This fulfills a social need for … etc.

          • Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
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            3 months ago

            There are many in this thread. I replied to one.

            People who casually dismiss conspiracy theories are exactly as bad as those who unquestioningly believe them.

            • grepe@lemmy.world
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              3 months ago

              People who casually dismiss conspiracy theories are exactly as bad as those who unquestioningly believe them.

              the occams razor is a crucial part of scientific thinking for a reason.

              the space of all possibilities is infinite. the space of what people believe and say is enormous. the space of what is actually truth is comparatively smaller, unrelated and uncaring about either of those.

              you can’t possibly consider everything everyone says - especially if what they are saying keeps changing as they see fit. you’ll just burn out if you try and end up in endless “discussions” with the people who are “just asking questions”…

              that doesn’t mean i should dismiss or ridicule people, but it does mean i will not spend a single heartbeat thinking about another “proof” that the earth is flat or controlled by lizard prople or something.

              • Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
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                3 months ago

                occams razor is a crucial part of scientific thinking for a reason

                Holy shitballs. NO. Occam’s razor may lead you to a solution faster, but the scientific approach is to exhaust all possibilities. Occam’s razor implies the sun goes round the earth. It is not scientific.

                you can’t possibly consider everything everyone says

                Of course you can. You may assign it a credibility of almost 0, but you can still consider a theory. In science this process is decentralized and heavily delegated.

                if what they are saying keeps changing as they see fit.

                Then they become even less credible.

                i will not spend a single heartbeat thinking about another “proof” that the earth is flat.

                Well, at least you were open enough to consider one argument.

                Honestly, I was on board with the lizard people right up to the point David Ike insisted that it wasn’t a metaphor.