A small new study by scientists at the US National Institute of Health suggests that the immune response triggered by coronaviruses damages the brain's blood vessels.
The brains of nine people who died suddenly after contracting the virus were used in the paper.
The team found that the people's own immune system attacks the brain's blood vessels and causes inflammation.
This discovery could explain why some people experience headaches, fatigue, loss of taste and smell, and inability to sleep, as well as "brain fog", which can be caused by long-term chronic infections.
The underlying pathophysiological process is not well understood, according to the senior author of the paper.
We didn't understand the cause of the blood vessel damage we showed at the autopsy. The paper gave us important insight into the cascade of events.
Nine people, aged 24 to 73, were selected from the previous study because they showed evidence of blood vessel damage in their brains.
Their brains were compared to those of 10 other people and the team looked at inflammation and immune responses.
The blood-brain barrier is a structure designed to keep harmful invaders out of the brain.
The risk of stroke is increased by the damage to these cells.
The leaks cause immune cells to rush to the site and cause inflammation.
Normal cellular processes in the areas targeted by the attack were disrupted, which had implications for things such as their ability to de-toxify and to regulate metabolism.
The findings offer clues about the biology at play in patients with long-term neurological symptoms and can inform new treatments.
It is possible that the same immune response continues in long COVID patients.
He said that a drug that lowers the immune response could help those patients.
These findings are very important.
Agence France- Presse.
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