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New Therapeutic Target for Clearing post-Covid Brain Fog

March 22, 2024

In a groundbreaking study, researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago investigated the neurological effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection in mice and identified a promising treatment to mitigate cognitive impairments. In their paper, titled Engineered Wnt7a ligands rescue blood–brain barrier and cognitive deficits in a COVID-19 mouse model, recently published in Brain, they discuss that the team focused on the blood-brain barrier, discovering that infected mice exhibited leaky vessels and impaired memory due to suppressed Wnt/beta-catenin signaling, crucial for blood-brain barrier integrity. Essentially, they found that the COVID-19 virus can make the brain’s protective barrier leaky and worsen memory, what some describe as “brain fog.” Brain fog is a “general term used to describe the feeling of being mentally slow, fuzzy, or spaced out. It affects one’s ability to think or concentrate (1) (2).”

However, they also discovered a treatment that might help fix these problems. They used special molecules called Wnt7a to boost the brain’s protection, which worked! Employing engineered Wnt7a ligands targeted at enhancing this pathway, the researchers observed notable improvements: reduced blood-brain barrier leakage, decreased immune cell infiltration into the brain, and enhanced learning and memory abilities in infected mice.

The study underscores the importance of understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying COVID-19-related neurological complications, particularly in older individuals who are at higher risk. While the research is preliminary, it sheds light on potential therapeutic avenues for preventing post-infection cognitive impairments giving hope for new treatments to keep our brains healthy after a COVID-19 infection. The team notes that studying how viruses affect the brain could lead to more ways to protect it from harm. This is good news for anyone worried about their brain health after COVID-19 or other illnesses.

Citations:

Asadi-Pooya, A. A., Akbari, A., Emami, A., Lotfi, M., Rostamihosseinkhani, M., Nemati, H., Barzegar, Z., Kabiri, M., Zeraatpisheh, Z., Farjoud-Kouhanjani, M., Jafari, A., Sasannia, S., Ashrafi, S., Nazeri, M., Nasiri, S., & Shahisavandi, M. (2022). Long COVID syndrome-associated brain fog. Journal of medical virology, 94(3), 979–984. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.27404

Sjögren’s Foundation. Patient Education Sheet – Brain Fog.

Trevino, T. N., Fogel, A. B., Otkiran, G., Niladhuri, S. B., Sanborn, M. A., Class, J., Almousawi, A. A., Vanhollebeke, B., Tai, L. M., Rehman, J., Richner, J. M., & Lutz, S. E. (2024). Engineered Wnt7a ligands rescue blood-brain barrier and cognitive deficits in a COVID-19 mouse model. Brain : a journal of neurology, 147(5), 1636–1643. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awae031





Sources

  1. Article Sources

    1. Asadi-Pooya, A. A., Akbari, A., Emami, A., Lotfi, M., Rostamihosseinkhani, M., Nemati, H., Barzegar, Z., Kabiri, M., Zeraatpisheh, Z., Farjoud-Kouhanjani, M., Jafari, A., Sasannia, S., Ashrafi, S., Nazeri, M., Nasiri, S., & Shahisavandi, M. (2022). Long COVID syndrome-associated brain fog. Journal of medical virology, 94(3), 979–984. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.27404

    2. Sjögren’s Foundation. Patient Education Sheet – Brain Fog.

    3. Trevino, T. N., Fogel, A. B., Otkiran, G., Niladhuri, S. B., Sanborn, M. A., Class, J., Almousawi, A. A., Vanhollebeke, B., Tai, L. M., Rehman, J., Richner, J. M., & Lutz, S. E. (2024). Engineered Wnt7a ligands rescue blood-brain barrier and cognitive deficits in a COVID-19 mouse model. Brain : a journal of neurology, 147(5), 1636–1643. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awae031