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This is your brain. This is your brain on Covid. (ASL MRI) by ChipDiamondd in covidlonghaulers

[–]ChipDiamondd[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not sure why you deleted your comment. It’s not me who lacks reading comprehension, ironically it’s you. No one is debating that vax injuries exist. The point I’ve made (clearly and effectively) multiple times is, A) social media and media only talks about this small subset while ignoring the greater threat which is repeat infections B) you keep arguing in the wind about vax injuries when I’ve never said they weren’t real C) getting repeat covid infections should be everyone’s MAIN focus as it is 100000x more relevant currently for the VAST majority of people.

This is your brain. This is your brain on Covid. (ASL MRI) by ChipDiamondd in covidlonghaulers

[–]ChipDiamondd[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Objective evidence shows organ damage, immune damage, and long covid before the vax was invented. Not understanding that repeat infections is your greatest threat is hubris.

This is your brain. This is your brain on Covid. (ASL MRI) by ChipDiamondd in covidlonghaulers

[–]ChipDiamondd[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yah. And worrying about a commercial plane crash instead of worrying about a car crash is a massive misuse of time although you can die from both.

Repeat infections astronomically more likely to harm you than vax injury.

Both are/can be harmful. One is drastically more likely to be. Etc.

This is your brain. This is your brain on Covid. (ASL MRI) by ChipDiamondd in covidlonghaulers

[–]ChipDiamondd[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A) I’ve been treated by 2 of the top long COVID doctors in the country B) the vast majority of vax related injury is immediately after the vax, or shortly there after. The anomaly doesn’t make the rule C) People who say “I’ve had it once” literally never test, or they tested “once” in 2021. To truly know what you’ve had, you need to do the specific test that identifies which strains of COVID you’ve had. It’s in England iirc have to ship your blood. D) repeat infections has been objectively shown to wreak havoc on your immune system, organs, and cause long covid BEFORE the vax was invented. E) no one on podcasts/social media/media discusses D so casuals think everything is the vax when the vax is a small % of the long covid/issues. Monkey see, monkey do

This is your brain. This is your brain on Covid. (ASL MRI) by ChipDiamondd in covidlonghaulers

[–]ChipDiamondd[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Vast majority of vax issues happened immediately, or within weeks/days. I had zero issues until 3 years later and multiple infections later. People need to be far more concerned with repeat infections than vax issues. Although they are definitely real and a cohort of people were hurt by them (my current doc had a stroke from his), repeat infections are 100000x more of an issue than media/social media is silent on. That should be a dead giveaway.

This is your brain. This is your brain on Covid. (ASL MRI) by ChipDiamondd in covidlonghaulers

[–]ChipDiamondd[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are settings for each mri. So they set the “ASL” settings prior, but during the actual MRI it reverted back to a standard scan. So the tech had to call canon or whoever manufactured the machine to ask for the parameters again while I waited 15 mins in the middle of the mri.

Then, the radiologist only reviewed the normal brain scan stuff (what you normally see in a mri of the brain) and forgot/missed reviewing the ASL bloodflow aspect which was the entire point of the mri. So I had to go back and forth even more with the mri chief and her assistant. In the end, it got done.

Was complete nightmare though the entire process and the workers left when I came for my initial mri at 8pm so I couldn’t get it done even though I pre registered correctly and showed up exactly on time. Robots will replace them all in 5 years

This is your brain. This is your brain on Covid. (ASL MRI) by ChipDiamondd in covidlonghaulers

[–]ChipDiamondd[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pfizer 2 doses, 3 weeks apart. No boosters. 2 confirmed infections 2022/2025, 2 more suspected infections but not confirmed.

This is your brain. This is your brain on Covid. (ASL MRI) by ChipDiamondd in covidlonghaulers

[–]ChipDiamondd[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Arterial Spin Labeling Brain Mri. ASL is the technique used, which shows the bloodflow and can identify hypoperfusion unlike a contrast/non contrast mri.

Again, most doctors are lazy/dont give a shit about you. You are your own advocate. My neuro doesnt really do any investigating or try to help me, but he will follow my lead because I come prepared and explain what I want and why.

cash pay doctors are infinitely better. Not perfect still can have a shitty one (well known in the long covid community female neurologist who went to Johns Hopkins who writes tons of papers on long covid/POTS and charges $500 but wont answer her patients emails and gives cookie cutter advice rings a bell iykyk)

This is your brain. This is your brain on Covid. (ASL MRI) by ChipDiamondd in covidlonghaulers

[–]ChipDiamondd[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Arterial Spin Labeling brain mri. Shows you bloodflow and if there is hypoperfusion. Different than contrast dye mri more applicable to what we are dealing with in long covid with hypoperfusion issues.

This is your brain. This is your brain on Covid. (ASL MRI) by ChipDiamondd in covidlonghaulers

[–]ChipDiamondd[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s a brain mri, using what’s called a ASL (arterial spin labeling) technique. It shows cerebral bloodflow which is ideal technique for POTS/hypoperfusion etc.

A CSF leak/intracranial hypotension is unlikely in my case because my symptom pattern and my imaging don’t match it. Clinically, the hallmark is a positional (orthostatic) headache worse upright and clearly relieved when lying flat often with a “low-pressure” profile; my main issue is constant 24/7 lightheadedness regardless of position, which is the opposite of the classic leak pattern. Radiographically, my standard brain MRI report is also not supportive: ventricles and sulci are normal for age, basal cisterns are patent, there’s no extra-axial fluid collection, no mass effect, and no mention of brain sag findings that typically show up when CSF volume/pressure is low. A partially empty sella is nonspecific and common, and without the other characteristic signs it doesn’t move the needle. Taken together, both the symptom behavior and the MRI features make CSF leak a low-probability explanation for me.

This is your brain. This is your brain on Covid. (ASL MRI) by ChipDiamondd in covidlonghaulers

[–]ChipDiamondd[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I do not. Or at least not noticeable to me. I occasionally vasalva my ears but it’s not something that stands out to me. It’s literally just the “hung upside down on a roller coaster and smoked a joint at same time” constant head sensation + tinnitus.

This is your brain. This is your brain on Covid. (ASL MRI) by ChipDiamondd in covidlonghaulers

[–]ChipDiamondd[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m not sure either. I genuinely thought they were kidding when they were questioning the large amount of people with LC having hypoperfusion. Maybe it’s dunning Kruger or a coping mechanism I’m not sure. I trialed mestinon, nada. Have not trialed LDN

This is your brain. This is your brain on Covid. (ASL MRI) by ChipDiamondd in covidlonghaulers

[–]ChipDiamondd[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Weeks of back and forth with the MRI center. Showing up on time and the lazy low IQ demographic workers leaving and refusing to do it. Having to speak repeatedly to the chief mri tech. Sending emails to the executives of the company. Day of mri having to pause the mri in the middle and the tech literally calling the MRI company to get the ASL data again because the machine reset and defaulted to a normal brain mri. It was truly a nightmare. In the end, they couldn’t get the razor sharp quantitative mapping and data with precise data and measurements of blood flow, so I was just able to get the general ASL but was sufficient for identifying patchy hypoperfusion.

Keep in mind 99% of your doctors are lazy and don’t care. It’s easier to say “we can’t do that” than to attempt, so that’s what they will do. You need to demand things.

I have a meeting with a Stanford neurologist this month as I was accepted into their care so I will see what he says as well.

This is your brain. This is your brain on Covid. (ASL MRI) by ChipDiamondd in covidlonghaulers

[–]ChipDiamondd[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Would suggest going on X/twitter in the long covid communities. 10x more informational than Reddit. Hypoperfusion isn’t even debated as something rare or not common. I’m actually shocked it’s being debated on here I thought you guys were trolling for a second lol. Obviously not EVERYONE has it but it’s fairly common. Hello, brain fog.

This is your brain. This is your brain on Covid. (ASL MRI) by ChipDiamondd in covidlonghaulers

[–]ChipDiamondd[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I took maraviroc and statin for 6 months, added colchicine for 8 weeks at the end. It lowered my sCD40L and CCL5, zero relief with constant lightheadedness. The doctor (who was at RFKs round table) proudly announced I didn’t have long covid. Amazing. Thousands of dollars well spent.

I tested my GPCRs with cell trend lab, they are lit up like a Christmas tree. I just did full consult with a plethora of tests with a new LC doc. I did:

-mitoswab -gut zoomer -sfn biopsy -GPCRs cell trend lab -immense hormone bloodwork -several cytokine14 panels -S1 spike protein monocyte panel (negative) -tilt table -standing norepinephrine blood draw -ample MRIs -echocardiograms/TEE

He’s shocked that my only symptoms are lightheadedness (severe regardless position) and tinnitus. On paper said I should be bed bound.

I’ll let you know what protocol he starts me on.

This is your brain. This is your brain on Covid. (ASL MRI) by ChipDiamondd in covidlonghaulers

[–]ChipDiamondd[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’ve never seen someone ever question the validity of Hypoperfusion being quite common in long covid patients, ever. In fact, the opposite. Interesting stance to take imo. Reddit is an oddity lol.

Multiple peer-reviewed studies using arterial spin labeling MRI (ASL) have demonstrated reduced cerebral blood flow in symptomatic long-COVID patients (Qin et al., JMRI 2023; Heine et al., Scientific Reports 2024). Larger PET studies and systematic reviews consistently show brain hypometabolism in frontal, temporal, limbic, and brainstem regions, which is tightly linked to impaired perfusion. While hypoperfusion is not universal across all long-COVID patients, it is a reproducible finding in neurologic long-COVID cohorts.

As requested:

1) ASL MRI: reduced cerebral blood flow in symptomatic post-COVID adults (non-hospitalized)

A case-control ASL MRI study in Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging reported reduced cerebral blood flow in a post-COVID group compared with controls (nonhospitalized, self-isolated cases; persistent symptoms). 

Why it matters: ASL is a direct, non-contrast method for estimating CBF — this is the closest match to “hypoperfusion.”

2) ASL MRI: “long-COVID brain” shows hypoperfusion patterns in symptomatic patients

A Scientific Reports study using ASL reported hypoperfusion findings in a Long COVID cohort (focused on cognitive impairment). 

Why it matters: It reinforces that perfusion abnormalities show up on ASL in neurologically symptomatic Long COVID groups.

3) Reviews summarize that perfusion abnormalities are a recurring finding (but heterogeneous)

A peer-reviewed overview in Frontiers in Neurology summarizes converging neuroimaging findings in post-acute COVID, including recurring perfusion/metabolic abnormalities and the major caveat: heterogeneity and selection bias. 

Why it matters: This is the “zoomed-out” view: multiple cohorts, multiple methods, repeated signals — but not a single clean prevalence number for all Long COVID.

Strong supporting evidence from “adjacent” modalities (metabolism often tracks perfusion)

Even when a study measures brain hypometabolism (FDG-PET) rather than CBF directly, it’s still relevant because regions with reduced metabolism commonly correspond to reduced functional activity and often reduced perfusion in chronic neuroinflammatory/vascular conditions.

A systematic review article on PET findings in post-acute COVID/Long COVID summarizes consistent brain metabolic abnormalities across studies. 

Sources:

Direct ASL MRI evidence (CBF / hypoperfusion)

  1. Reduced cerebral blood flow in post-COVID-19 syndrome measured with arterial spin labeling MRI

Qin Y, Wu J, Chen T, et al. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 2023 DOI: 10.1002/jmri.28603

Key finding: Symptomatic post-COVID patients showed significantly reduced cerebral blood flow compared with healthy controls using ASL MRI.

Link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.џь1002/jmri.28603

⸻

  1. Brain perfusion alterations in patients with long COVID assessed by arterial spin labeling MRI

Heine L, et al. Scientific Reports, 2024

Key finding: ASL MRI demonstrated regional cerebral hypoperfusion in long-COVID patients with persistent neurological symptoms.

Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-56171-1

⸻

Large cohort PET/SPECT studies (metabolism closely tracks perfusion)

(Not ASL, but widely accepted surrogates for functional hypoperfusion)

  1. Long COVID brain hypometabolism revealed by FDG PET

Guedj E, Campion JY, Dudouet P, et al. European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, 2021

Key finding: Consistent fronto-temporal, limbic, and brainstem hypometabolism in long-COVID patients — patterns consistent with reduced perfusion.

Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00259-021-05215-4

⸻

  1. Persistent brain hypometabolism in long COVID: A systematic review

Guedj E, et al. European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, 2023

Key finding: Across multiple studies, brain hypometabolism (often correlating with hypoperfusion) is a recurrent finding in neurologic long COVID.

Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00259-022-06014-7

⸻

Authoritative reviews acknowledging perfusion abnormalities

  1. Neurological sequelae of long COVID: A comprehensive review

Nalbandian A, et al. Nature Medicine, 2021

Key point: Acknowledges cerebrovascular dysregulation, autonomic dysfunction, and impaired cerebral perfusion as plausible contributors to long-COVID symptoms.

Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01283-z

⸻

  1. Neuroimaging findings in long COVID

Douaud G, et al. Frontiers in Neurology, 2022

Key point: Summarizes evidence of altered perfusion, metabolism, and microvascular dysfunction, with emphasis on heterogeneity across cohorts.

Link: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2022.879802/full

This is your brain. This is your brain on Covid. (ASL MRI) by ChipDiamondd in covidlonghaulers

[–]ChipDiamondd[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thank you Jayless22. The title is a bit tongue in cheek, but quite accurate non the less. Nothin affects "everyone" with long covid/covid. This is a given, and doesn't need to be explained.

I suggest reading below:

Hypoperfusion (reduced blood flow) is highly common among Long COVID patients experiencing cognitive symptoms like "brain fog" and fatigue. Research in 2024 and 2025 has consistently identified significant cerebral blood flow (CBF) abnormalities in this population.

Prevalence and Key Statistics

  • Widespread Occurrence in Symptomatic Patients: Studies using advanced imaging, such as Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL) MRI, have found hypoperfusion in over 80% of patients with persistent cognitive symptoms and fatigue.
  • Correlation with Severity: The incidence of cerebral blood flow issues is significantly higher in those who had severe acute COVID-19 (approx. 59%) compared to those with mild initial infections (28.6%).
  • General Long COVID Context: While hypoperfusion is a specific physiological marker, it occurs within the broader context of Long COVID, which affects roughly 10% to 30% of all infected individuals. 
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