Study: Immune Response Caused by COVID May Damage Brain
2022-07-12
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1A small study from the U.S. National Institutes of Health says the immune response caused by COVID-19 infection may damage the brain's blood vessels.
2The reaction could lead to neurological problems known as long COVID.
3In the study, researchers examined brain changes in nine people who died suddenly after being infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
4The results appeared last week in the publication Brain.
5The researchers found that antibodies - proteins produced by the immune system to fight viruses - are involved in an attack on the cells lining the brain's blood vessels.
6This causes inflammation and damage.
7The results were similar to an earlier study done in 2020.
8In both studies, SARS-CoV-2 was not found in the patients' brains.
9This suggests the virus was not attacking the brain directly.
10NIH scientist Avindra Nath is the senior researcher of the study.
11He said, "We had previously shown blood vessel damage and inflammation in patients' brains at autopsy, but we didn't understand the cause of the damage."
12An autopsy is the examination of a dead body to find out the cause of death.
13For the study, Dr. Nath and a team of researchers examined brain tissue from nine individuals between the ages of 24 and 73.
14The individuals were chosen because their scans showed signs of blood vessel damage in the brain.
15The scans were then compared to those from 10 individuals in a control group.
16The researchers found that antibodies produced to fight COVID-19 may mistakenly target cells that line the brain's blood vessels.
17These cells, called endothelial cells, serve as barriers to keep harmful substances from reaching the brain.
18Damage to the cells causes bleeding and blockage in some COVID-19 patients and increases the risk of stroke.
19As in their earlier study, researchers found signs of leaky blood vessels.
20This suggests that the links between endothelial cells in the blood-brain barrier were damaged.
21Dr. Nath said that once the leaks happened, immune cells "may come to repair the damage, setting up inflammation" in the brain.
22Researchers also found changes in gene expression in areas with damage to the endothelial cells.
23More than 300 genes showed decreased expression, while six genes showed increased expression.
24The affected genes are connected to the brain's ability to deal with chemical imbalances in the body.
25Together, these findings may provide information about the cause of neurological problems related to COVID-19.
26The findings may also be used to find new treatments to target the damaged links between the endothelial cells in the blood-brain barrier.
27The study may also help with understanding and treating long-term neurological conditions after COVID-19.
28The conditions include headache, tiredness, loss of taste and smell, sleep problems, and forgetfulness known as "brain fog."
29If the nine patients in the study had survived, the researchers believe they would have likely developed long COVID.
30"It is quite possible that this same immune response persists in long COVID patients," Dr. Nath said.
31The findings, he added, are "very important" to researchers seeking to find treatments for long COVID.
32I'm Ashley Thompson.
1A small study from the U.S. National Institutes of Health says the immune response caused by COVID-19 infection may damage the brain's blood vessels. The reaction could lead to neurological problems known as long COVID. 2In the study, researchers examined brain changes in nine people who died suddenly after being infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The results appeared last week in the publication Brain. 3Damage to the brain's blood vessels 4The researchers found that antibodies - proteins produced by the immune system to fight viruses - are involved in an attack on the cells lining the brain's blood vessels. This causes inflammation and damage. 5The results were similar to an earlier study done in 2020. 6In both studies, SARS-CoV-2 was not found in the patients' brains. This suggests the virus was not attacking the brain directly. 7NIH scientist Avindra Nath is the senior researcher of the study. He said, "We had previously shown blood vessel damage and inflammation in patients' brains at autopsy, but we didn't understand the cause of the damage." An autopsy is the examination of a dead body to find out the cause of death. 8For the study, Dr. Nath and a team of researchers examined brain tissue from nine individuals between the ages of 24 and 73. The individuals were chosen because their scans showed signs of blood vessel damage in the brain. The scans were then compared to those from 10 individuals in a control group. 9The researchers found that antibodies produced to fight COVID-19 may mistakenly target cells that line the brain's blood vessels. These cells, called endothelial cells, serve as barriers to keep harmful substances from reaching the brain. Damage to the cells causes bleeding and blockage in some COVID-19 patients and increases the risk of stroke. 10As in their earlier study, researchers found signs of leaky blood vessels. This suggests that the links between endothelial cells in the blood-brain barrier were damaged. 11Dr. Nath said that once the leaks happened, immune cells "may come to repair the damage, setting up inflammation" in the brain. 12Long-term neurological symptoms 13Researchers also found changes in gene expression in areas with damage to the endothelial cells. More than 300 genes showed decreased expression, while six genes showed increased expression. The affected genes are connected to the brain's ability to deal with chemical imbalances in the body. 14Together, these findings may provide information about the cause of neurological problems related to COVID-19. The findings may also be used to find new treatments to target the damaged links between the endothelial cells in the blood-brain barrier. 15The study may also help with understanding and treating long-term neurological conditions after COVID-19. The conditions include headache, tiredness, loss of taste and smell, sleep problems, and forgetfulness known as "brain fog." 16If the nine patients in the study had survived, the researchers believe they would have likely developed long COVID. 17"It is quite possible that this same immune response persists in long COVID patients," Dr. Nath said. The findings, he added, are "very important" to researchers seeking to find treatments for long COVID. 18I'm Ashley Thompson. 19Hai Do wrote this story for Learning English with information from the National Institutes of Health. 20___________________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22response - n. something that is done as a reaction to something 23neurological - adj. related to the study of the nervous system and the diseases that affect it 24vessel - n. a vein or artery that carries blood through the body 25inflammation - n. a condition in which part of the body becomes swollen and painful 26stroke - n. a serious illness caused when a blood vessel in the brain is broken or blocked 27persist - v. to continue to exist beyond the expected time 28___________________________________________________________________ 29We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 30Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.