Brain Inflammation Collaborative

Numerous chronic conditions, such as Long COVID, ME/CSF, and POTS, share common characteristics such as: - neuroinflammation - overlapping immunopathologies - overlapping symptoms & comorbidities - variable responses to medical treatments These conditions are also associated with in increased risk of psychiatric conditions including depression. That's why we wrote a free white paper, with 118 peer-reviewed sources, to challenge the way patients and health professionals view the impact chronic inflammation and our mental health. Access it here 👇 buff.ly/FqLJ4Zo

This suggests a potential therapeutic avenue, including addressing iron issues early to prevent or reduce the impact of long COVID. However, researchers explicitly cautioned that it's not as simple as taking iron supplements alone.

What might cause low iron levels in some? The body normally sequesters iron during infection to starve pathogens, but if this persists, it can also starve your own cells, impairing oxygen transport, energy production, and immune function. A protective mechanism turns problematic.

This early iron dysregulation occurred independent of age, sex, or initial COVID severity. It appeared even among low-risk people who weren't hospitalized or required oxygen. This suggests a broad impact on recovery.

Ongoing inflammation and low blood iron levels (leading to anemia & disrupted red blood cell production) appeared as early as 2 weeks post-COVID in those who later developed long COVID. Read more: buff.ly/9qAME8u

As Long COVID emerged in many, scientists could look back to early blood markers that predicted it. They analyzed samples from 214 people. ~45% reported long COVID symptoms 3–10 months later. Here's what they found.

Early in the pandemic, researchers at the University of Cambridge recruited people who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 into the NIHR BioResource COVID cohort. Participants provided blood samples over a year, allowing changes to be tracked after their infection.

Some bounce back after a symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. Others develop Long COVID. New research finds a clue that might explain why...🧵

Duke University students created a device called Uplift. It used a patent-pending cinching mechanism to deliver pressure to your legs and abdomen while standing. Read more here: today.duke.edu/2026/03/duke-s…

Keeping your blood pressure steady when standing is achieved by elevating your heart rate rather than constricting your vessels. This is why those with POTS present with tachycardia (rapid heart rate) when standing. What if there were a way to mechanically compress your vessels to prevent your heart from racing?

Duke University engineering students turned a class project into a startup company. They built a device for patients with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Here's how it works...🧵

This further supports the concept that the immune system can impact our mental health, an area of research referred to as immunopsychiatry. Let us know what you think about this study.

This translational work shows the immune system as a complex brain-body communication network. James W. Murrough, MD, PhD, is launching a pilot clinical trial with dupilumab in MDD.

Patients with atopic dermatitis are at increased risk of having severe depression. A new study discovered the inflammatory link and new treatment approach...🧵

@Nosey_MF A lot of potential side effects.

@BrainInflCollab Or maybe they just don't want to cook recipients' brains. If a 20 amp fuse keeps blowing, the fix doesn't involve using a grinder to make a penny fit in the hole where the fuse is supposed to go. Cellular immunity is dampened in the presence of tissue damage for good reason.

Some with Long COVID have exhausted T cells. This has been theorized as a mechanism driving the symptoms of (some with) Long COVID. The good news is that there is a drug that can rejuvenate these T cells. But here is the bad news...🧵

@xynthee Not sure.

@BrainInflCollab Are they asking any non US companies for the drugs?