Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Aug 01, 2025 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 1 hour, 41 minutes ago
Thailand Medical News: A new theory from Hungarian researchers suggests that SARS-CoV-2 may trigger a catastrophic breakdown in the brain’s delicate communication systems—without ever entering brain cells. According to the provocative hypothesis, the virus may instead damage a special sensor protein known as Piezo2, found in various tissues across the body and brain, setting off a chain of neurological disturbances seen in both acute COVID-19 and long COVID.
COVID-19 Triggers Brain Neural Chaos Through a Piezo2 Malfunction
This
Thailand Medical News report is based on an in-depth opinion piece authored by Dr. Balázs Sonkodi, affiliated with the Department of Health Sciences and Sport Medicine at the Hungarian University of Sports Science, as well as Semmelweis University and the University of Pécs. The paper proposes that the Piezo2 protein, a type of ion channel responsible for sensing mechanical signals like pressure and touch, plays a vital role in regulating metabolic and neurological processes through fast proton-based signaling. Disruption of this protein's function—what the study calls “Piezo2 channelopathy”—could underlie the widespread inflammation, brain fog, sleep problems, and heart rate imbalances seen in COVID-19.
A Switch That Could Break the Brain’s Rhythm
The study posits that Piezo2 normally helps maintain critical communication between brain regions, particularly the hippocampus and medulla—two areas responsible for memory, learning, sleep, and autonomic functions like heart rate. But SARS-CoV-2, through its spike protein, may attach to receptors on cell surfaces, altering the electrostatic environment and damaging Piezo2’s ability to conduct signals properly.
This loss of function may flip a kind of neural “switch,” the paper explains, impairing how brain cells generate energy, disrupting neurotransmitter systems, and derailing synchronization between organs and brain areas. It may also cause misfiring of immune cells like microglia and astrocytes, pushing them into a pro-inflammatory state. This could explain the persistent neuroinflammation seen in some COVID-19 patients, even long after the virus is gone.
From Energy Failure to Sleep Disturbance
Dr. Sonkodi further explains how Piezo2 dysfunction could break down mitochondrial energy production in neurons, leading to widespread fatigue and reduced brain function. The resulting glutamine deficiency—a critical nutrient for both the immune system and neurons—may further aggravate these problems. Sleep disruptions, particularly disturbed REM cycles and memory issues, may stem from a breakdown in Piezo2-driven synchrony across brain-body communication networks.
The hippocampus, which is responsible for forming new memories, may lose its ability to act as the central hub of an “ultradian rhythm” system—a fast-paced biological clock that coordinates organs like the lungs, heart, gut, and even sens
ory organs. This could explain why so many long COVID sufferers experience symptoms like brain fog, arrhythmia, dizziness, and loss of smell.
The Bigger Picture and Long-Term Implications
Although this theory is still unproven and based on emerging ideas in quantum biology and neuroscience, it provides a compelling unifying explanation for the diverse and lingering symptoms of COVID-19. The concept of Piezo2 channelopathy gives researchers a new target to explore in the development of treatments for long COVID and related neurological disorders.
The study concludes that COVID-19 may trigger a fundamental breakdown in ultrafast brain-body communication, driven by Piezo2 channel dysfunction. This opens the door to potential long-term consequences involving the central nervous system, immune regulation, and metabolism. Understanding this pathway may help uncover not only new COVID therapies but also treatments for diseases like ALS, chronic fatigue syndrome, and even neurodegenerative conditions.
The study findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal: Cells
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/14/15/1182
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https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/how-covid-19-triggers-brain-inflammation-leading-to-dangerous-neurological-conditions
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/alarming-rise-in-brain-degeneration-risks-after-covid-19-infection-sparks-global-medical-alert
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/doctors-from-slovakia-warn-that-even-mild-covid-19-can-trigger-rare-autoimmune-brain-disorder
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