Anecdotally, I know of people who had brain fog for periods too short to be classed as long COVID, but longer than they were sick...I'm talking four to six weeks here.

It might help to look at some of those people too. Do they have high levels of these proteins, but clear them out relatively quickly? If so, what's the difference between them and the person who still has brain fog a year later? There might be a treatment in that difference.