Molecular study reveals signs of inflammation in brains of people who died of COVID-19

[Puccini]

Molecular study reveals signs of inflammation in brains of people who died of COVID-19

 

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Jun 22 2021

 

The most comprehensive molecular study to date of the brains of people who died of COVID-19 turned up unmistakable signs of inflammation and impaired brain circuits.

Investigators at the Stanford School of Medicine and Saarland University in Germany report that what they saw looks a lot like what's observed in the brains of people who died of neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

The findings may help explain why many COVID-19 patients report neurological problems. These complaints increase with the severity of infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. And they can persist as an aspect of "long COVID," a long-lasting disorder that sometimes arises following infection. About one-third of individuals hospitalized for COVID-19 report symptoms of fuzzy thinking, forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating and depression, said Tony Wyss-Coray, PhD, professor of neurology and neurological sciences at Stanford.

 

Read full article: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210622/Molecular-study-reveals-signs-of-inflammation-in-brains-of-people-who-died-of-COVID-19.aspx

Journal reference:

Yang, A.C., et al. (2021) Dysregulation of brain and choroid plexus cell types in severe COVID-19. Nature. doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03710-0.

 

[rabas]

 

I suspect this is related.

 

More studies are showing that COVID survivors can experience brain damage and loss of grey matter that can be seen in scans, even in people who don't show neurological problems.  They conjecture that loss of smell may be due to brain damage and not to nasal infection.

 

https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20210618/covid_long_term_brain_loss_study

 

The study: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.06.11.21258690v1