- Membership & Community
-
Publications & News
- Journals
-
Newsroom
-
The Physiologist Magazine
- 2019
- 2020
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023
- 2024
- In Depth
-
Mentoring Forum
- Net Worth
- Take Care
- You … In Charge
- Work. It. Out.
- Working Off-site
- Location, Location, Location?
- Student Support
- Progressing to Postdoc
- Relationship Building
- Let’s Get It Started
- What Do We Value?
- It’s a Postdoc Life
- Coronavirus Contributions
- Creative Communications
- Selection Process
- Conference Connections
- Postdoc Appreciation
- Research Rewards
- Focus on Teaching
- Industry Insights
- Balance Beam
- Post Postdoc
- If You Build It
- Talk It Through
- Forward Bound
- I’ve Earned My PhD. Now What?
- University Life
- Tips for Trainees
- Time Travel
- Prepare Now for the Career You Want
- Policy IQ
- Publish with Polish
- Under the Microscope
- Mentoring Q&A
- The Physiologist Magazine Readers Survey
- Evolution
- Baseline by Scott Steen, CAE, FASAE
- Find Us on Social Media
-
The Physiologist Magazine
-
Professional Development
-
Meetings & Events
-
American Physiology Summit
- #APS2024 Overview
- 2024 Photo Gallery
- Abstracts
- Awards at the Summit
- Award Lectures
- Career Networking Lunch Form
- Dates and Deadlines
- Hotel Information
- Industry Partners
- Keynote Speaker—Brian Kobilka, MD
- Keynote Speaker—Jessica Meir, PhD
- Mobile App
- NIH and NSF Program Officer Panel Discussion Form
- Off-site Summit Meetups
- Physical Poster Information
- PhysioHub
- Pre-Summit Events
- Registration
- Section & Group Banquet Tickets
- Speaker Audiovisual Instructions
- Summit FAQs
- Summit Newsroom
- Summit Store
- Travel & Transportation
- Undergraduate Program Book
- Liability Waiver
- Summit Call for Proposals
- Industry Partners
- Martin Frank Diversity Travel Award Orientation Agenda
- Martin Frank Diversity Travel Award Networking Luncheon Agenda
- Women in Physiology Networking Event Agenda
-
2023
- APS 2023 Call for Proposals
- Shocklogic Test
- Team 2023 Task Force
- Shaping the Summit
- Schedule at a Glance
- Pre-Summit Events
- Pre-Summit Center for Physiology Education Workshop Registration
- Section & Groups Banquet Tickets
- Summit Store
- Pre-Summit Center for Physiology Education Workshop
- Press Registration
- Meet the Organizers
- Keynote Speaker—Terrie Williams, PhD
- Keynote Speaker—David Julius, PhD
- Industry Workshop Information
- Important Dates and Deadlines
- Hotel Information
- Game Changers
- Distinguished Lecturers
- Building APS 2023
- Awards at the Summit
- 2023 Summit Information
- American Physiology Summit Program
- 2023 Summit Newsroom
- 2024
- Scientific Integrity Policy
- Integrative Physiology of Exercise Conference
- From Concept to Classroom
- Webinars
- Related Meetings
- Future APS Conferences
-
Past APS Conferences
- APS Institute on Teaching and Learning
- Integrative Physiology of Exercise
- Seventeenth International Conference on Endothelin (ET-17)
- New Trends in Sex and Gender Medicine
- APS Institute on Teaching and Learning (2022)
- Control of Renal Function in Health and Disease Conference
- Comparative Physiology: From Organisms to Omics in an Uncertain World
- Conference Policies
-
American Physiology Summit
- Awards
-
Career & Professional Development
-
Career Gateway
-
Resources
- Transcript—Leading Through Conflict and Difficult Conversations
- Transcript—Managing Conflict with Colleagues
- Transcript—Leading a Team Through Conflict
- Transcript—Providing Difficult Feedback
- Transcript—Team Dynamics and Culture Primer
- Transcript—Building a Team
- Transcript—Leading a Team Assigned to You
- Transcript—Creating a Team Culture
-
Resources
- Career Navigator
- Center for Physiology Education
- Job Board
- Mentoring
- APS Graduate Physiology & Biomedical Science Catalog
-
Career Gateway
-
Meetings & Events
-
Advocacy & Resources
- Policy Areas
-
Resources
- Researcher Resources
- Educator Resources
- Trainee Resources
- Student Resources
-
APS Graduate Physiology & Biomedical Science Catalog
- Augusta University
- Des Moines University
- East Tennessee State University
- George Washington University
- Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport
- Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences—Biomedical Engineering & Physiology
- Medical College of Wisconsin
- Michigan State University
- New York Medical College
- Nova Southeastern University
- Pennsylvania State University
- Saint Louis University
- Texas A&M University
- Texas A&M University Medical Physiology
- Stony Brook University
- The University of Iowa
- The University of Mississippi Medical Center
- University of Alabama at Birmingham
- University at Buffalo
- University of Colorado
- University of Delaware
- University of Florida
- University of Louisville
- University of Michigan
- University of Minnesota
- University of Missouri-Biomedical Sciences
- University of Nebraska Medical Center
- University of Oregon
- University of South Carolina School of Medicine
- University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC)
- University of Texas Health Science Center
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- Wayne State University
- Wake Forest University
- Physiology Department Catalog Submission Form
- Career Gateway
- Women's Health Research Initiative
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Advocacy
- About APS
Lack of oxygen, increased inflammation affects serotonin levels in brain
Rockville, Md. (February 24, 2021)—A new review suggests that blood vessel damage and impaired oxygen delivery related to COVID-19 play a role in mood changes and cognitive difficulties that people with the disease face during illness and recovery. The review is published in Physiological Reports.
COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS CoV-2 virus, may cause a wide range of symptoms ranging from lack of taste and smell, muscle weakness and fatigue to acute respiratory distress syndrome and multiple organ failure. Changes in blood flow and microscopic clots in the body’s smallest blood vessels can also affect people with the disease. “While most symptoms disappear over the weeks and months following the infection, the extent of long-term COVID-19 [complications] remains unclear,” the authors of the review wrote.
One cluster of symptoms people with COVID-19 have experienced—even after active infection has passed—is cognitive or mood impairment. This may include memory problems, depression, anxiety and the inability to focus or concentrate, which is called “brain fog.” Previous research has found that people with a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease show “widespread cerebral microvascular flow disturbances.” The current review explains that in people with COVID-19, a shortened blood flow transit time in the capillaries limits the amount of oxygen that can be delivered to the lungs and brain.
Low oxygen levels and the increase in inflammatory cytokines—proteins involved in immune system signaling—that occur with COVID-19 can also affect serotonin levels. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter the brain produces to regulate mood. Low levels of serotonin have been linked to anxiety and lowered mood. Oxygen is crucial for the production of serotonin, and research suggests cytokines reduce serotonin levels. “These mechanisms could affect cognitive functions and quality of life for COVID-19 patients,” the reviewers wrote.
Other findings discussed in the review include:
- The recovery of COVID-19 patients may rely on the restoration of normal blood flow through the body’s smallest blood vessels.
- Development of new blood vessels in COVID-19 may form shunts for blood delivery through the lungs and contribute to poor blood oxygenation.
Read the full article, “SARS CoV‐2 related microvascular damage and symptoms during and after COVID‐19: Consequences of capillary transit‐time changes, tissue hypoxia and inflammation,” published in Physiological Reports.
NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: To schedule an interview with a member of the research team, please contact the APS Communications Office or call 301.634.7314. Find more research highlights in our Newsroom.
Physiology is a broad area of scientific inquiry that focuses on how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function in health and disease. The American Physiological Society connects a global, multidisciplinary community of more than 10,000 biomedical scientists and educators as part of its mission to advance scientific discovery, understand life and improve health. The Society drives collaboration and spotlights scientific discoveries through its 16 scholarly journals and programming that support researchers and educators in their work.
Related Content
- Sit All Day? Periodic Squatting Exercises May Help Preserve Your Brain Power
- Childhood Trauma Linked to Reduced Vascular Function and Diminished Sleep Quality
- Opioid Exposure in the Womb Could Raise the Risk of Heart Disease Later in Life
- Contracting RSV Before Age 2 Can Cause Long-term Lung Changes and Impairment
- ‘Social Jet Lag’ Leads to Weight Gain and Increased Blood Sugar in Mice
- Flu during Pregnancy May Lead to Changes in Offspring’s Immune Function
- Trying to Lower Blood Pressure? Evening Exercise Might Be Best
Contact Us
For questions, comments or to share your story ideas, email us or call 301.634.7314.