Using ultra-high-resolution scanners that can see the living brain in fine detail, researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford were able to observe the damaging effects Covid-19 can have on the brain.
University of Cambridge
Extracts
The study team scanned the brains of 30 people who had been admitted to hospital with severe Covid-19 early in the pandemic, before vaccines were available. The researchers found that Covid-19 infection damages the region of the brainstem associated with breathlessness, fatigue and anxiety.
The powerful MRI scanners used for the study, known as 7-Tesla or 7T scanners, can measure inflammation in the brain. Their results, published in the journal Brain, will help scientists and clinicians understand the long-term effects of Covid-19 on the brain and the rest of the body. Although the study was started before the long-term effects of Covid were recognised, it will help to better understand this condition.
The brainstem, which connects the brain to the spinal cord, is the control centre for many basic life functions and reflexes. Clusters of nerve cells in the brainstem, known as nuclei, regulate and process essential bodily functions such as breathing, heart rate, pain and blood pressure.
The researchers say the results could aid in the understanding of other conditions associated with inflammation of the brainstem, like MS and dementia. The 7T scanners could also be used to monitor the effectiveness of different treatments for brain diseases.
MEA Comment
Some interesting new UK research using MRI has shown that Covid infection can cause inflammation in the brain stem – a key control centre in the central nervous system.
Many years ago, a researcher I was involved with at the Middlesex Hospital in London, used another type of imaging called a SPECT scan to demonstrate blood flow abnormalities involving the brain stem. Sadly, this important research has never been properly repeated
Dr Charles Shepherd,
Trustee and Hon. Medical Adviser to the ME Association,
Member of the 2018-2021 NICE Guideline Committee,
Member of the 2002 Independent Working Group on ME/CFS
Further media coverage
- The Guardian: Severe Covid infections can inflame brain’s ‘control centre’, research says | 8th Oct 2024
- Independent: MRI scans reveal the damage long Covid does to your brain | 8th Oct 2024
- Neuroscience News: Brainstem Inflammation Linked to Long-Covid Symptoms | 8th Oct 2024
- Independent: What you need to know as study reveals what long Covid does to your brain | 8th Oct 2024
- Science Alert: Long COVID Fatigue Shows Up as Distinct Changes in Brain Scans | 8th Oct 2024