Doctors have found a physical cause for the so-called brain fog in Long Covid patients. Accordingly, the viral infection causes a disruption of the blood supply system in the brain. The blood vessels become more permeable and are less able to protect the brain against pathogens, toxins and other substances in the blood, reports the research group led by Matthew Campbell of Trinity College Dublin and Colin Doherty of St. James’ Hospital in Dublin (Ireland). . ).
“For the first time, we have shown that leaky blood vessels in the human brain, together with a hyperactive immune system, may be the main cause of brain fog associated with Long Covid,” Campbell explains in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
“Brain fog” after corona infection
He and his colleagues began investigating this form of clouding of consciousness, known as brain fog, in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic in March and April 2020 by analyzing blood samples from 76 Covid patients at St. James’ Hospital. They found increased levels of the protein S100-beta, which is, among other things, a marker for a disrupted blood-brain barrier.
Video: Head of Research Matthew Campbell on the research results
The boundary between the bloodstream and the central nervous system is called the blood-brain barrier. Thanks to special cells located on the outside of the vessel wall, only certain substances can enter the brain. This protects the brain against harmful substances and pathogens. When the blood-brain barrier is disrupted, substances that would otherwise be shielded enter the brain.
Exact mechanism still unknown
The researchers have not yet been able to clarify the exact mechanism of the weakening of this system. They also used imaging techniques to visualize the disruption of the blood-brain barrier. To do this, they used a special type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), dynamic contrast-based perfusion MRI. What is measured is the way a contrast agent flows through a tissue. The special MRI images show that in brain fog patients, more contrast agent ends up in the brain tissue outside the blood capillaries.
Campbell, Doherty and colleagues are convinced that Corona is not the only viral infection that damages the brain in this way. “The results are now likely to change the way we understand and treat post-viral neurological diseases,” Doherty said. In recent years it has emerged that in many neurological diseases – such as multiple sclerosis (MS) – a viral infection is likely to be the trigger for the disease, according to a statement from Trinity College. The authors of the study are currently further investigating what role the blood-brain barrier plays in this.
A corona infection can lead to persistent health problems, for which the term Long Covid has become common. Symptoms include exhaustion, dizziness and difficulty concentrating.
Source: Krone
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