Health
UCSF scientists detect abnormalities in people with “brain fog” after COVID
Scientists studying the persistent “brain fog” that plagues many after a COVID-19 attack are the first to report abnormalities in the clear fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord of several patients. I am.
A small study led by UCSF and published in the Journals of Clinical and Translational Neurology on Tuesday suggests the presence of inflammation, but unexpected antibodies, although the discovery of elevated protein levels in the cerebrospinal fluid suggests the presence of inflammation. May reveal an abnormally activated immune system.
Dr. Joanna Helms, a brain expert in coronavirus neurocognitive research at the University of California, San Francisco, and lead author of the study, said: “The virus-stimulated immune system functions in unintended pathological ways. It may be. ” ..
Overall, the anomaly also provides evidence to support what such patients have claimed since the beginning of the pandemic: their debilitating, post-COVID cognitive problems are true-in the problem of fatigue and stress. No, says the author of the study.
“Many people have been told by doctors, friends and family that they are crazy,” Helms said. “You don’t have to fire people if you don’t know what’s going on.”
“Brain fog” is one of the most common complaints of suffering people Long COVIDA mysterious array of relentless symptoms experienced by a subset of people infected with the coronavirus.
Cognitive dissatisfaction usually focuses on “executive function” — remembering recent events, remembering names and other details, concentration, speed of thinking — all supported by the frontal network of the brain. increase. Reasons other than COVID.
Study participants with brain fog had an average of 2.5 cognitive risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, and history of alcohol use, whereas study participants without brain fog had an average of less than one risk factor. I had it.
Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, Alexandra Apple, Steven Deeks, and Samuel Pleasure at UCSF surveyed 17 participants who had been infected with COVID an average of 10 months ago but had never been hospitalized. .. All but four showed persistent cognitive symptoms after infection.
After performing a lumbar puncture in each volunteer, the researchers analyzed cerebrospinal fluid, which helps regulate blood flow to the brain, among other functions.
The four people without cognitive symptoms had normal cerebrospinal fluid.
However, 10 of the remaining 13 participants showed elevated levels of protein in the body fluids, suggesting increased inflammation and, in some cases, an overactive immune system. I had an antibody.
Helms said the findings are just one step in the long way to understand the brain fog after COVID, and the abnormalities “may not have caused changes in cognitive function”, but clearly state. Said it was related.
Dr. Avindra Nath, clinical director of the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke, who was not involved in the study, said the drawbacks were the small sample size and persistent abnormalities in all or some patients. He said it contained some unknowns, such as whether it disappeared, and how the underlying disease affected stroke patients.
“It is well known that systemic infections can exacerbate the underlying condition and mask it,” he said.
However, the strength of this study was that within a group of unhospitalized patients with mild COVID, researchers were able to document “the possibility that some (cognitive) symptoms are immune-mediated.” Said that. Symptoms.
Dr. Jennifer Frontera, a neurologist specializing in brain damage at NYU Langone Health in New York, is interesting despite being unrelated to this study, small in size, and dependent on self-reported symptoms. Said.
“After all, I like what they do. They see people in a very systematic way,” Frontera said. “They will continue to do this, and as the number of participants grows, we will be able to generate data that provides more insight into the possible underlying mechanisms of cognitive dysfunction after COVID.”
Auckland Cliff Morrison had Persistent brain fog Since being diagnosed with COVID in April 2020. Morrison, a Helms patient enrolled in several UCSF studies with a long COVID, does not know if the researchers included his cerebrospinal fluid in the study. But he said he was happy that the scientists were involved in the case.
“It makes me more optimistic,” said 70-year-old Morrison. “The research seems to be delayed, but we’ve been doing this for less than two years. This research has given me hope.”
COVID is not the only virus associated with post-infection cognitive problems. Others include HIV, coronaviruses such as SARS and MERS, hepatitis C, and Epstein-Barr.
Nanette Asimov is a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected] twitter: @NanetteAsimov
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