Autoantibodies mediate pain and sensory dysfunction in post-COVID syndrome

Autoantibodies mediate pain and sensory dysfunction in post-COVID syndrome | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Autoantibodies mediate pain and sensory dysfunction in post-COVID syndrome Stuart Bevan, Hayate Javed, Mathilde Israel, Laura Primicheru, and 25 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7989936/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Pain and fatigue are common but poorly understood features of post-COVID Syndrome (PCS). To probe the mechanistic basis of these symptoms, we investigated sensory functions in patients with widespread pain attributed to PCS. Quantitative sensory testing revealed increased mechanical pain sensitivity and altered thermal sensitivities and microneurography demonstrated that patients with pain displayed abnormal spontaneous C-fibre activity. Administration of IgG from PCS patients with pain and fatigue (PCS-PF) to mice, conferred mechanical and cold hypersensitivities and reduced intra-epidermal nerve fibre density (IENFd). IgG from patients with fatigue but without pain (PCS-F) did not induce hypersensitivities but similarly reduced IENFd. In line with behavioural responses, sensory nerves from PCS-PF IgG treated mice showed increased responsiveness to mechanical and cold stimulation. PCS-PF IgG bound to isolated sensory neurons with staining intensities that correlated with the level of pain experienced by patients with PCS. These results indicate a causal role for autoantibodies in the pathogenesis of pain and sensory disturbances associated with PCS. Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Neuroimmunology Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Somatosensory system/Pain/Chronic pain Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Diseases of the nervous system/Chronic pain Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SupplementaryData.pdf Supplementary Figure and Tables Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7989936","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":550181620,"identity":"42994e86-24a7-4e4e-bb8c-b7a84844405a","order_by":0,"name":"Stuart 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