by A recent study conducted by the University of Liverpool and King’s College London reveals that markers of brain injury can still be detected in the blood several months after recovering from a COVID-19 infection. This finding is significant because routine inflammation blood tests often appear normal in these cases. The study, titled “Para-infectious brain injury in COVID-19 persists at follow-up despite attenuated cytokine and autoantibody responses,” has been published in Nature Communications.
The research was part of the COVID-19 Clinical Neuroscience Study (COVID-CNS), which involved scientists from the ISARIC4C consortium, The Pandemic Institute, and the NIHR BioResource. Over 800 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 from various regions in England and Wales were included in the study, half of whom had developed new neurological conditions. The researchers analyzed samples from these patients, measuring brain injury markers, cytokines (inflammatory proteins), antibodies, and neuroglial injury proteins.
The study found that inflammatory markers and brain injury markers are present during the acute phase of COVID-19, when symptoms are rapidly developing. However, it was surprising to discover that robust biomarker evidence of brain injury continues to be present even months after the patients have been discharged from the hospital, particularly in those who experienced neurological dysfunction during the acute phase or acute neurological complications.
The researchers suggest that these inflammatory markers may be indicative of abnormal immune responses during the acute phase of the disease. They propose that targeting these markers could be a potential therapy for COVID-19 and other infections that cause acute brain dysfunction.
Professor Benedict Michael, the Principal Investigator and Director of the University of Liverpool’s Infection Neuroscience Laboratory and Honorary Consultant Neurologist at The Walton Center NHS Foundation Trust, emphasizes the significance of the findings. Despite the resolution of the inflammatory response in the blood, markers of brain injury persist in the blood of COVID-19 patients, especially those who have experienced brain complications like inflammation or stroke. This suggests the possibility of ongoing inflammation and injury within the brain that may not be detectable through routine blood tests for inflammation.
The Head of the Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology & Immunology at the University of Liverpool, Professor Aras Kadioglu, acknowledges the importance of the study. Liverpool has been at the forefront of research throughout the pandemic, and this study provides valuable insights into the ongoing brain injury markers in individuals who developed neurological complications during COVID-19, even after their discharge from the hospital. The Liverpool research team led by Professor Benedict Michael is now focused on understanding the implications of these findings for cognitive function, independence, and recovery in affected individuals.
Professor Leonie Taams from King’s College London commends the collaborative nature of the study. By incorporating immunology, neurology, and infection research, this interdisciplinary research by the COVID-CNS consortium has successfully identified several biomarkers associated with the neurological complications of COVID-19. This discovery may contribute to a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of these complications.
In conclusion, the study highlights that brain injury caused by COVID-19 can persist even after recovery, with markers of brain injury still present in the blood. This suggests the possibility of ongoing inflammation and injury within the brain, which may not be detectable through routine blood tests. These findings have significant implications for the understanding and treatment of neurological complications associated with COVID-19. Further research is being conducted to determine the long-term effects on cognitive function and the potential for recovery in these individuals.
