Similar to sequelae following chemotherapy
After being infected with the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and being cured, a study has found that brain cells can be damaged due to COVID-19, such as losing concentration and memory and becoming depressed. The research team revealed that these ‘brain fog’ symptoms are similar to the sequelae (chemo-brain) in which cancer patients’ cognitive function declines following chemotherapy. Brain fog is a phenomenon in which a dazed feeling persists as if the head is fogged, and it is found in regarding 1 in 4 people who have recovered from COVID-19.
A joint research team involving Stanford University and Yale University in the United States announced on the 10th (local time) that even a mild level of Corona 19 can affect brain cells in BioArchive, a site for pre-publication of life science papers. When the research team analyzed the brain tissue of patients who died from COVID-19, it was found that the level of inflammatory protein (CCL11) in the brain was high at the time of death. CCL11 is associated with nervous system damage and cognitive decline.
CCL11 levels were also high in the blood of those who had recovered from COVID-19. The research team analyzed the blood of 48 people who suffered ‘brain fog’ and 15 who did not have the symptoms following being cured of COVID-19, and as a result, the 48 people who complained of cognitive decline all showed high levels of CCL11. Fifteen asymptomatic subjects showed low levels of CCL11.
According to the research team, it was analyzed that COVID-19 affects neurons in the hippocampus, which is deeply related to memory. As a result of analyzing the brains of mice infected with Corona 19, the production of neurons in the hippocampus of the brain decreased sharply from one week following infection, and this phenomenon lasted for at least 7 weeks.
The research team explained, “The method of treating the chemo-brain sequelae of chemotherapy patients can be a reference for brain fog treatment.”
Reporter Kim Soo-hyun newsoo@donga.com