Scientists have found a link between COVID-19 and damage to the blood vessels of the brain. Of neuroscientific research published in the journal New England Journal of Medicine.
Coronavirus does not penetrate into brain tissue, but contributes to the weakening of the walls of small blood vessels inside of it that can affect bleeding and strokes.
One of the authors, researcher at the National Institute of neurological disorders and stroke (USA) Avindra NAT explained that this is due to the inflammatory reactions that are associated with the penetration of the virus into the body.
the study of NAT and his colleagues decided to find out how SARS-CoV-2 can get into the human brain and disrupt its work. They studied how changed the condition of the circulatory system of the brain in several dozen patients with the coronavirus, who died between March and July of this year. Initial analysis showed that their death was related to brain damage.
the MRI showed multiple foci of inflammation and minor bleeding in the brain, the wall of small capillaries and other blood vessels become permeable to blood and the contained proteins. Experts examined the sections for these departments. “We expected to see signs of damage from the infection and chronic lack of oxygen. Instead, there were many minor injuries of the nervous tissue that usually occur after strokes, or inflammation of the brain,” explained NAT.
in patients with brain or in its vessels the virus is not found. It turned out that the capillaries of the brain is destroyed not because of the infection of SARS-CoV-2, and because of the very high activity of the immune system: he began to attack not only the virus but also healthy cells of the blood vessels. As a result, there appeared the “hole”, some of which were filled with blood clots and microglia.
Now scientists have to figure out how long the stored damage to the blood vessels of the brain, and to choose a therapy that can prevent or remedy them.
Previously associate Professor in the Department of psychology and pedagogy of the 1st Saint Petersburg state medical University named after Pavlov, the occupational therapist Maria Maltseva has revealed effects that may have an impact of coronavirus on the human brain. According to her, patients with COVID-19 may be as of nonsense.
