Shocking Study Finds Severe COVID-19 Linked With Molecular Signatures of Brain Aging - SciTechDaily

Scientists stress the worth of neurological follow-up successful recovered individuals.

It’s existent that COVID-19 is chiefly a respiratory disease. However, neurological symptoms person been described successful galore COVID-19 patients, including successful recovered individuals. In fact, a scope of symptoms has been reported by patients including encephalon fog oregon deficiency of focused thinking, representation loss, and depression. Additionally, scientists person demonstrated that patients with terrible COVID-19 grounds a driblet successful cognitive show that mimics accelerated aging. But, what has been lacking is molecular grounds for COVID-19’s aging effects connected the brain.

In a bid of experiments, scientists discovered that cistron usage successful the brains of patients with COVID-19 is akin to those observed successful aging brains. The scientists, from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), utilized a molecular profiling method called RNA sequencing to measurement the levels of each cistron expressed successful a peculiar insubstantial sample. This allowed them to measure changes successful cistron look profiles successful the brains of COVID-19 patients and comparison them to those changes observed successful the brains of uninfected individuals. The team’s investigation suggested that galore biologic pathways that alteration with earthy aging successful the encephalon besides changed successful patients with terrible COVID-19. The survey was published connected December 5 successful the diary Nature Aging.

“Ours is the archetypal survey to amusement that COVID-19 is associated with the molecular signatures of encephalon aging,” said co-first and co-corresponding writer Maria Mavrikaki, PhD, an teacher of pathology astatine BIDMC and Harvard Medical School. “We recovered striking similarities betwixt the brains of patients with COVID-19 and aged individuals.”

Mavrikaki and colleagues analyzed a full of 54 postmortem quality frontal cortex insubstantial samples from adults 22 to 85 years old. Of these, 21 samples were from terrible COVID-19 patients and 1 from an asymptomatic COVID-19 diligent who died. These samples were age- and sex-matched to uninfected controls with nary past of neurological oregon psychiatric disease. The scientists besides included an age-and sex- matched uninfected Alzheimer’s illness lawsuit for investigation arsenic a power to a COVID-19 lawsuit which had co-morbid Alzheimer’s disease, arsenic good arsenic an further autarkic power radical of uninfected individuals with a past of intensive attraction oregon ventilator treatment.

“We observed that cistron look successful the encephalon insubstantial of patients who died of COVID-19 intimately resembled that of uninfected individuals 71 years aged oregon older,” said co-first writer Jonathan Lee, PhD, a postdoctoral probe chap astatine BIDMC and Harvard Medical School. “Genes that were upregulated successful aging were upregulated successful the discourse of terrible COVID-19; likewise, genes downregulated successful aging were besides downregulated successful terrible COVID-19. While we did not find grounds that the SARS-CoV-2 microorganism was contiguous successful the encephalon insubstantial astatine the clip of death, we discovered inflammatory patterns associated with COVID-19. This suggests that this inflammation whitethorn lend to the aging-like effects observed successful the brains of patients with COVID-19 and agelong COVID.”

“Given these findings, we advocator for neurological follow-up of recovered COVID-19 patients,” said elder and co-corresponding writer Frank Slack, PhD, manager of the Institute for RNA Medicine astatine BIDMC and the Shields Warren Mallinckrodt Professor of Medical Research astatine Harvard Medical School. “We besides stress the imaginable objective worth successful modifying the factors associated with the hazard of dementia — specified arsenic controlling value and reducing excessive intoxicant depletion — to trim the hazard oregon hold the improvement of aging-related neurological pathologies and cognitive decline.”

Better knowing of the molecular mechanisms underlying encephalon aging and cognitive diminution successful COVID-19 could pb to the improvement of caller therapeutics to code cognitive diminution observed successful COVID-19 patients. The squad is present trying to recognize what drives the aging-like effects successful the brains of COVID-19 patients. 

Reference: “Severe COVID-19 is associated with molecular signatures of aging successful the quality brain” by Maria Mavrikaki, Jonathan D. Lee, Isaac H. Solomon and Frank J. Slack, 5 December 2022, Nature Aging.
DOI: 10.1038/s43587-022-00321-w

Isaac H. Solomon, MD, PhD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, besides contributed to this work, which was supported by the National Institute of Aging (NIA; R01 AG058816). The authors state nary conflicts of interest.