Blood–brain barrier disruption and sustained systemic inflammation in individuals with long COVID-associated cognitive impairment

Greene, Chris; Connolly, Ruairi; Brennan, Declan; Laffan, Aoife; O’Keeffe, Eoin; Zaporojan, Lilia; O’Callaghan, Jeffrey; Thomson, Bennett; Connolly, Emma; Argue, Ruth; Meaney, James F.; Martín‐Loeches, Ignacio; Long, Aideen; Cheallaigh, Clíona Ní; Conlon, Niall; Doherty, Colin P.; Campbell, Matthew

doi:10.1038/s41593-024-01576-9

articleNature NeuroscienceFeb 22, 2024HYBRID OA

Blood–brain barrier disruption and sustained systemic inflammation in individuals with long COVID-associated cognitive impairment

CGChris Greene RCRuairi Connolly DBDeclan Brennan ALAoife Laffan EOEoin O’Keeffe

Trinity College Dublin · St. James's Hospital · +2 more institutions

PubMed

Indexed incrossrefpubmed

Abstract

Vascular disruption has been implicated in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pathogenesis and may predispose to the neurological sequelae associated with long COVID, yet it is unclear how blood-brain barrier (BBB) function is affected in these conditions. Here we show that BBB disruption is evident during acute infection and in patients with long COVID with cognitive impairment, commonly referred to as brain fog. Using dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging, we show BBB disruption in patients with long COVID-associated brain fog. Transcriptomic analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells revealed dysregulation of the coagulation system and a dampened adaptive immune response in individuals…

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360

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Topics & keywords

Topics

Keywords

Neuroscience
Systemic inflammation
Inflammation
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Blood–brain barrier
Cognitive impairment
Cognition
2019-20 coronavirus outbreak

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Good health and well-being

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