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A team of doctors from New York examined 18 cancer patients who developed neurological disorders. Scientists were looking for the causes of the so-called “Brain fog”. What they learned could be a breakthrough in the treatment of this phenomenon. Anti-inflammatory drugs may prove effective in therapy.
- Brain fog is a series of neurological ailments, such as memory loss, concentration disorders and hallucinations. Many patients infected with the coronavirus experience it long after recovery
- Scientists are constantly looking for the causes of its occurrence. The latest discovery of New York doctors reveals a bit of a mystery
- It turns out that brain damage is mediated by an immune system dysfunction known as a cytokine storm. So it may turn out that anti-inflammatory drugs are helpful in treating brain fog
- You can find more up-to-date information on the coronavirus on the Onet homepage.
Sometime after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors noticed that the coronavirus affects not only the respiratory system but also the nervous system. Many convalescents had long-lasting neurological disorders – deterioration of concentration, memory loss, prolonged fatigue or hallucinations. It was called “brain fog”. And although this is not a medical term, it has permanently entered the catalog of coronavirus effects.
Now the cause of this phenomenon has been investigated. The analysis was conducted by doctors from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) in New York. The results appeared in the journal “Cancer Cell”.
– We were approached by our colleagues from the intensive care units who observed severe delirium in many patients hospitalized for COVID-19. This meeting resulted in the collaboration of neurologists, intensive care units, microbiologists and neuroradiologists to find the causes of this, said MSK neuroscientist Jessica Wilcox.
Researchers examined the cerebrospinal fluid of 18 cancer patients who experienced encephalopathy, or brain damage, after being infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
- COVID-19 patients can suffer from “brain fog”. It lasts for months
It was initially suspected that an ongoing viral infection might be the cause of the cerebral fog symptoms, but microbial analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid no longer revealed any signs of SARS-CoV-2. So they searched further.
– It turned out that the patients had long-term inflammation and high levels of cytokines in the cerebrospinal fluid – explains Jan Remsik, one of the authors of the study.
Cytokines are proteins that stimulate other cells of the immune system to react in a certain way. In some cases of COVID-19 infection, the overproduction of these molecules triggers a so-called cytokine storm. A cytokine storm is a dysfunctional reaction of the immune system that attacks the body’s own cells, which can even lead to death.
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High levels of cytokines are also seen as a side effect of CAR-T anti-cancer therapy. At this point, patients also experience confusion, delirium and other neurological complaints, similar to those experienced during “brain fog”
The discovery leads doctors to believe that the immune system is responsible for the damage to the brain. An excess of inflammatory substances from the immune system travels to the brain, causing symptoms of encephalopathy. Therefore, anti-inflammatory medications can be helpful in relieving symptoms of brain fog.
- Severe psychotic symptoms in people who have had COVID-19
– We used to think that the nervous system was an immunologically privileged organ, that the brain and spinal cord were strictly separated from immune cells. And the more we look at them, the more connections we find – said Adrienne Boire, neurooncologist from MSK.
Read also:
- In France, many more infections, but fewer deaths than in Poland. Why do we have such a high mortality?
- Nine arguments to convince skeptics to vaccinate
- The British variant of the virus mutated again. What does it mean?
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