Although the world has entered the recovery phase from the Corona epidemic, which has crippled all walks of life in the world for more than two years, many Facts and explanations are still ongoing Day after day.
A recent US study has revealed that severe Covid-19 disease appears somewhat similar to aging in the human brain, according to a post-mortem analysis of 54 healthy and infected individuals.
The study authors say their research is the first to link COVID-19 with the molecular signatures of brain aging, according to the journal Nature Aging. Nature Aging.
“We noticed that gene expression in the brain tissue of patients who died from Covid-19 is very similar to that of uninfected individuals aged 71 and older,” says public health scientist Jonathan Lee of Harvard University . The sample, made up of people between the ages of 20 and 80, includes 21 people with severe COVID-19, one asymptomatic person and 22 people who did not have the coronavirus.
The researchers also compared their results with those of a person without Alzheimer’s disease and a group of 9 healthy individuals with a history of hospitalization or a ventilator.
Expressive
RNA sequencing technology
Using RNA sequencing technology on samples of the prefrontal cortex, scientists found that people infected with severe COVID-19 They showed rich gene expression patterns associated with aging.
The brains of affected individuals looked more like the brains of older individuals in the control group, regardless of their actual age.
In simple terms, genes that are normally downregulated in aging, such as those related to the immune system, have also been upregulated in severe COVID-19.
Meanwhile, genes that are downregulated in aging, such as those related to synaptic activity, cognition and memory, were also downregulated in severe COVID-19.
“We also observed significant associations of cellular response to DNA damage, mitochondrial function, regulation of stress response and oxidative stress, vesicular transport, calcium homeostasis, and insulin secretion/signaling pathways previously associated with senescence and brain aging processes “, write the authors. The biological processes that change with normal aging in the brain also change in severe Covid-19.
Expressive
Possible long-term consequences
Since the new coronavirus began infecting humans on a global scale, scientists fear possible long-term consequences.
Brain damage is one of the more problematic outcomes. Severe cases of COVID-19 are often associated with mental confusion, memory loss, stroke, delirium or coma. And in October of 2020, initial brain scans of COVID-19 patients revealed troubling signs of neurological disorder and weakness.
Subsequent studies have since found that even mild COVID-19 infections can affect the brain, although it’s unclear how long these changes might last or how they compare to those with severe COVID-19.
And as the years go by, health experts have a little better idea of the long-term consequences this global pandemic could bring. Three years later, it doesn’t look so good.
The findings of the present study follow other research, published earlier this year, which found that the cognitive impact of severe COVID-19 is equivalent to about 20 years of aging.
Neuropathologist Marianna Bogiani of the University of Amsterdam told the journal that the new findings raise “a large number of important questions, not only for understanding the disease, but for preparing society for what the consequences of the epidemic might be”.
He also added that these consequences may not be apparent for many years to come. At this point, the global community is likely to experience a recurrence of the COVID-19 infection.
Expressive
Neurological consequences of the virus
Interestingly, in this study, the researchers found no genetic evidence of MERS-CoV in the brains of infected patients, indicating that the neurological consequences of the virus may not be direct due to its presence in the nervous system.
However, the researchers found evidence that tumor necrosis factor (TNF), which is linked to inflammation, brain aging and cognitive decline caused by aging, was present at higher levels in the brains of affected individuals. Genetic factors associated with antiviral immune responses were also elevated.
The researchers argue that both pathways “may lead to significant impairment effects in the brain in the absence of SARS-CoV-2 neuronal incursion.”
In light of their findings, the team says people who recover from COVID-19 should receive neurological follow-up. And if the presence of this new virus is enough to cause inflammation in the brain, then any infected individual would likely be at risk of brain deterioration.
Until experts know more, the researchers say doctors and patients should focus on other risk factors for dementia that we control, such as weight, alcohol consumption and exercise.
It may also be a good idea to avoid future COVID-19 infections as best you can.
