New Research Revealed How COVID-19 Causes “Neuro-COVID” And Points Toward Possible Preventative Treatment Option
Even though COVID-19 cannot directly infect nerve cells, the virus can still damage the nervous system.
And earlier this month, scientists from the University of Basel in Switzerland studied the exact mechanisms behind this phenomenon– known as “neuro-COVID.”
While infected with SARS-CoV-2, some people may lose their sense of smell or taste. For other infected individuals, though, the virus’s effects on the nervous system are much more severe– ranging from persistent concentration issues to stroke.
So, the researchers sought to understand how “neuro-COVID” is developed. The team specifically analyzed how varying severities of the phenomenon can be detected as well as predicted via blood plasma and cerebrospinal fluid tests.
The study consisted of forty patients infected with COVID-19 who suffered from differing degrees of neurological symptoms.
The patient’s blood plasma and cerebrospinal fluid samples were then compared with samples from a control group in order to identify the normal impacts associated with neuro-COVID.
The team also took brain structure measurements and conducted follow-up surveys thirteen months later to see if any symptoms were long-lasting.
Among the patient group with the most severe neurological symptoms, the researchers found a relationship with an overactive immune response.
Some affected individuals showed signs of impairment in the blood-brain barrier, which the team believes was likely due to a “cytokine storm”– or when too many cytokines are released into the blood too quickly due to a severe immune reaction.
WavebreakmediaMicro – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual people
Within this same group, the researchers also discovered that antibodies had targeted some of the body’s own cells due to the excessive immune response.
“We suspect that these antibodies cross the porous blood-brain barrier into the brain, where they cause damage,” explained Gregor Hutter, the study’s lead author.
Afterward, the team took their research one step further by investigating whether or not neurological symptom severity could also be detectable in brain structures. And interestingly, they found that people who suffered from more severe neuro-COVID symptoms did have lower brain volume in certain regions of the brain as compared to healthy individuals.
This was particularly evident within the olfactory cortex, or the region of the brain that is responsible for sense of smell.
So, now that the researchers were able to identify a link between certain molecules in blood and cerebrospinal fluid with a severe immune response and reduced brain volume, the team believes it is critical to examine these biomarkers among a larger participant pool.
Their goal is to develop a blood test that would be able to predict serious cases of illness– such as long COVID and neuro-COVID– from the beginning of a COVID-19 infection. At the same time, these biomarkers also provide hope for the creation of drugs that could possibly prevent consequential damage caused by COVID-19.
More specifically, one of the biomarkers– factor MCP-3– plays a critical role in the excessive immune response. In turn, Hutter believes that inhibiting this factor could be a potential preventative treatment option. To read the study’s complete findings, which have since been published in Nature Communications, visit the link here.
If true crime defines your free time, this is for you: join Chip Chick’s True Crime Tribe
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
More About:Science
Read This Next
