To explore this further, they investigated potential associations between Covid-19 and neuroinflammation and brain microvascular injury, which are both hallmarks of Alzheimer’s.
‘Covid-19 virus can affect several genes or pathways involved in neuroinflammation and brain microvascular injury, which could lead to Alzheimer’s disease-like cognitive impairment.’
“We discovered that SARS-CoV-2 infection significantly altered Alzheimer’s markers implicated in brain inflammation and that certain viral entry factors are highly expressed in cells in the blood-brain barrier,” said lead author Feixiong Cheng, from Cleveland Clinic’s Genomic Medicine Institute.
The findings are published in the journal Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy.
The researchers also analyzed the genetic factors that enabled SARS-COV-2 to infect brain tissues and cells.
“These findings indicate that the virus may impact several genes or pathways involved in neuroinflammation and brain microvascular injury, which could lead to Alzheimer’s disease-like cognitive impairment,” Cheng added.
The researchers also found that individuals with the allele APOE E4/E4, the greatest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s, had decreased expression of antiviral defense genes, which could make these patients more susceptible to Covid-19.
“Ultimately, we hope to have paved the way for research that leads to testable and measurable biomarkers that can identify patients at the highest risk for neurological complications with Covid-19,” said Cheng.
Cheng and his team are now working to identify actionable biomarkers and new therapeutic targets for Covid-19-associated neurological issues in Covid long-haulers using cutting-edge network medicine and artificial intelligence technologies.
Source: IANS
For all the latest Health News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
Denial of responsibility! NewsBit.us is an automatic aggregator around the global media. All the content are available free on Internet. We have just arranged it in one platform for educational purpose only. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, all materials to their authors. If you are the owner of the content and do not want us to publish your materials on our website, please contact us by email – [email protected]. The content will be deleted within 24 hours.
