Unveiling the veiled mysteries that connect COVID-19 and brain health, a study from the University of Minnesota lays bare significant findings concerning the virus' impact on cognitive function. In research that scrutinizes the coronavirus beyond its respiratory ramifications, scientists have shone a light on unwelcomed guests like "brain fog" and fatigue, which linger among COVID-19 survivors.
In the publication released by Frontiers in Microbiology, the team utilized a preclinical model to accurately mimic the disease's effects on human brains, with particular scrutiny given to age and gender roles. The research was spearheaded by notable figures Maxim Cheeran from the College of Veterinary Medicine, along with Ling Li and Walter Low, hailing respectively from the College of Pharmacy and the Medical School. "There are still things we don’t know about how coronavirus infection affects the brain, and our research is beginning to unravel the mystery," Sheeran told the university's news team.
Key takeaways from their study revolve around the discovery of a potent neuroinflammatory response kindled by COVID-19, worryingly occurring without direct viral presence in the brain. A higher viral load and more severe symptoms were more commonly observed in older males, suggesting a link between these factors and increased neurological inflammation. The researchers also identified several biological pathways disrupted by the virus, from overzealous immune responses to damage in the brain's safeguarding blood-brain barrier and alterations affecting nerve cells and their functions, as detailed by the University of Minnesota.
More about their programs and community initiatives can be found at vetmed.umn.edu. Meanwhile, the College of Pharmacy, established in 1892, leads the state of Minnesota in pharmacy education and research aimed at optimizing health outcomes, detailed further at pharmacy.umn.edu. The Medical School's legacy of progress in medical learning and research contributes vitally to this interdisciplinary initiative, with more details available at med.umn.edu.
