Anti-VGLUT2 autoantibodies associated with post-COVID neurocognitive dysfunction: a case report
Post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) is frequently associated with fatigue and cognitive dysfunction, while underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We report a 44-year-old male with persistent symptoms following SARS-CoV-2 infection, including severe cognitive and motor fatigue, word-finding difficulties, and impaired concentration. Neuropsychological testing revealed marked deficits in alertness, attention, fluency, and processing speed. Serum analysis demonstrated anti-VGLUT2 autoantibodies. IVIG therapy yielded subjective but no objective improvement. This appears to be the first PCS case associated with VGLUT2 autoantibodies and raises the hypothesis of a potential pathophysiological link that requires confirmation in larger cohorts.
Authors
- Gregor Hütter (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7570-3902)
- Nadine Siems
- Theodoros Ladopoulos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-1735-4130)
- Bianca Teegen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1770-2685)
- Jeyanthan Charles James (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7192-2120)
- Thivya Pakeerathan
- Simon Faissner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3412-762X)
- Nadine Trampe
- Ralf Gold
- Ilya Ayzenberg
Institutions
- St. Josef-Hospital (DE)
- Ruhr University Bochum (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Frontiers in Immunology
- Published
- 2026-01-15
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1731744
- Primary Topic
- Long-Term Effects of COVID-19
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00