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Very Significant Study on Long Covid Brain Damage: How COVID-19’s Spike Protein Affects the Brain, via Skull Bone Marrow Infection
COVID-19 has always been one of complexity, but within its long narrative, one chilling chapter is emerging—the role of our own bones in harboring (1/23)
the virus’s remnants. Hidden deep in the marrow of our skulls, the virus’s spike protein quietly lingers, affecting the brain in ways that are only now being unraveled. (2/23)
When COVID-19 first swept through the world, attention was fixed on the deaths in China ,and Italy, Recently, we have learned, it significantly damaged our immune system. (3/23)
Months have turned into to years, and it has felt the virus proved it could strike deeper and leave scars that outlast us.
It has been five years, but this study is a very significant finding, probably the among these scars, neurological symptoms—brain fog, memory issues, and (4/23)
strokes—stand out. Yet how the virus leaves its mark on the brain has been a stubborn puzzle. This new study by et al., published in Cell Host & Microbe, offers a critical piece: the virus’s spike protein doesn’t just disappear. (5/23)
It stays, nestled in the skull marrow, traveling through the meninges, and interacting with brain tissue.
The Bone-Brain Connection
Your bones are alive. Inside them, marrow produces blood cells and plays an essential role in immunity. (6/23)
But when SARS-CoV-2 enters this sanctuary, it’s like letting a wolf into the fold. The study reveals that spike protein accumulates in the skull’s bone marrow, then creeps into the meninges—the protective layers surrounding the brain—and even penetrates the brain itself. (7/23)
This persistence causes a cascade of damage. The spike protein triggers neuroinflammation, sparking an immune response that harms the brain’s delicate tissues. (8/23)
It’s a silent invasion, and over time, it leaves the brain more vulnerable to other injuries, like strokes and traumatic brain injuries, compounding the damage.
This isn’t the first time bone marrow has been implicated in COVID-19’s long-term effects. (9/23)
It seems the bone marrow isn’t just collateral damage; it’s a reservoir, a hiding spot where the virus’s ghost haunts the body long after the acute infection. (11/23)
The Toll on the Brain
In this latest study, researchers found evidence of spike protein in the brain tissue of both humans and mice. In mice, even injecting the spike protein alone (without the virus) was enough to induce inflammation, neuronal stress, and anxiety-like behaviors. (12/23)
It exacerbated neurological damage after strokes and brain injuries, showing how
the presence of this protein primes the brain for harm.
In humans, cerebrospinal fluid from Long COVID patients revealed elevated biomarkers of neurodegeneration, including Tau and neurofilament light chain (13/23)
(NfL). These are the kinds of changes you’d expect to see in Alzheimer’s disease, not after a viral infection.
Proteomic analyses further detailed how spike protein alters key brain pathways, including those involved in immune activation, blood-brain barrier integrity, and even neuronal (14/23)
signaling. The picture emerging is one of long-term dysfunction—a brain thrown out of balance by the lingering presence of a protein that should have been cleared.
The Hope of Vaccination
There is a glimmer of hope. (15/23)
The study shows that vaccination helps reduce the spike protein’s burden. Mice vaccinated with an mRNA vaccine before infection had significantly lower levels of spike protein in their skull marrow, meninges, and brain compared to unvaccinated mice. (16/23)
The vaccinated animals also showed less inflammation and fewer signs of neurological damage.
This aligns with other studies. Research published in Nature Medicine has shown that vaccinated individuals are less likely to develop Long COVID symptoms, particularly neurological ones. (17/23)
By priming the immune system to recognize and clear the virus more effectively, vaccines appear to limit the lingering presence of its harmful components.
A New Frontier
What does this mean for the millions living with Long COVID? First, it’s a call to action for further research. (18/23)
The study highlights the need to target these reservoirs of viral protein, whether through treatments that enhance clearance or therapies that calm the inflammation they cause.
Second, it’s a reminder of the interconnectedness of the body. (19/23)
That a problem in the bone marrow could ripple into the brain isn’t entirely surprising—medicine has long known that bone health and brain health are linked. But COVID-19 is forcing us to rethink these relationships in ways that could reshape how we treat post-viral illnesses. (20/23)
Finally, it’s a message of hope. While the damage COVID-19 causes is real and profound, the tools to fight it are within reach. Vaccination is already making a difference, and understanding the spike protein’s journey from bone to brain may lead us to even more precise interventions. (21/23)
COVID-19 isn’t just a respiratory virus; it’s a systemic invader. And while we’re only beginning to understand its effects, each new discovery brings us closer to reclaiming the lives it has disrupted. (22/23)
The bones beneath our skin may tell the story of how this virus lingers, but they also hold clues to how we might finally defeat it.
cell.com/cell-host-micr… (23/23)