COVID-19-related immune signatures and neurological sequelae
November 2022
University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
COVID-19 is associated with acute and long-term neurological dysfunction, but the pathophysiological mechanisms resulting in central nervous system involvement remain unclear.
To address this issue, a cross-sectional clinical study was performed, including clinical and imaging data and corresponding multidimensional characterization of immune mediators in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma of patients belonging to different Neuro-COVID severity classes.
40 COVID-19 patients, 25 healthy controls and 25 patients with neurological inflammation of other causes were included in the study and the findings obtained from clinical sample analysis were correlated with brain imaging.
The most prominent signs of severe Neuro-COVID are blood-brain barrier impairment, elevated microglia activation markers and a polyclonal B cell response targeting self-antigens and non-self-antigens. Specific CSF and plasma alterations were identified, which provide insights into the pathomechanism underlying COVID-19-related neurological sequelae. Moreover, several potentially actionable targets to prevent or intervene with the neurological consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection were identified.
Severe Neuro-COVID is associated with peripheral immune signatures, autoimmunity and neurodegeneration: a prospective cross-sectional study
Gregor Hutter
Added on: 11-21-2022
[1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-34068-0
