Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Oct 15, 2025 2 hours, 5 minutes ago
Medical News: Understanding the Connection Between Long COVID and Chronic Fatigue
A new study by researchers from York University’s School of Kinesiology and Health Science, the Muscle Health Research Centre, and the Environmental Health Clinic at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, along with the ICanCME Research Network in Montreal, has shed light on how Long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) affect the brain, blood flow, and the body’s nervous system. Both conditions share symptoms like fatigue, dizziness, and “brain fog,” but this research reveals they also show unique biological differences.
Unique Brain and Nerve Patterns Found in Long COVID and Chronic Fatigue
Distinct Autonomic and Cognitive Patterns
The study involved 31 participants: 12 with ME/CFS, 9 with Long COVID, and 10 healthy individuals. They underwent various tests that measured breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, and brain blood flow under stress conditions like low oxygen or carbon dioxide and while tilted upright. According to this
Medical News report, while both Long COVID and ME/CFS patients had signs of nervous system dysfunction, they reacted differently. ME/CFS patients showed reduced control of blood flow to the brain during increased carbon dioxide levels, which may explain their mental fatigue and slow reaction times. Long COVID patients, meanwhile, experienced lower oxygen levels and reduced vagal nerve responses when standing, indicating breathing or circulatory challenges while upright.
Cognitive and Motor Integration Challenges
The study also explored how well participants performed tasks requiring coordination between thought and movement—an essential part of daily activities. ME/CFS patients performed noticeably worse in tasks demanding both mental focus and physical precision, showing longer reaction and movement times compared to healthy individuals. This suggests that changes in brain blood flow and oxygen regulation may impair cognitive-motor integration, contributing to the well-known “brain fog” seen in both conditions. Long COVID patients also showed some slowing, but to a lesser degree, possibly because their illness duration was shorter.
Vascular and Autonomic Findings
Interestingly, both groups had normal overall blood vessel function at rest, contradicting earlier studies suggesting chronic vascular damage. However, ME/CFS patients showed signs of impaired brain blood flow control during carbon dioxide challenges, while Long COVID patients had less ability to regulate oxygen levels during upright tilt. These findings point to separate but overlapping types of nervous system dysfunction. Researchers believe that inflammation, immune activation, and endothelial (blood vessel lining) changes may be contributing to these patterns.
Implications for Future Treatments
This study emphasizes that while Long COVID and ME/CFS share many symptoms, they may not be identical diseases. Their unique differences
could arise from varying disease durations, viral effects, or severity levels. The results underline the need for individualized treatment approaches targeting specific autonomic and vascular dysfunctions. More extensive research with larger patient groups could help confirm these discoveries and lead to better interventions for those suffering from long-term post-viral illnesses.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Autonomic Neuroscience.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1566070225001201
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