A new study conducted by the UK National Institute for Health and Human Services sheds light on how coronavirus can affect the brain. As reported by Medical Xpress, scientists have discovered a link between COVID-19 and damage to blood vessels in the brain.
The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, was based on a postmortem analysis. The team examined the brains of 19 people aged 50 to 73 who died from coronavirus. Using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging and histopathological examination aimed at studying microvascular changes, the scientists found multiple foci of inflammation and small hemorrhages. Interestingly, the researchers expected to see damage caused by a lack of oxygen, rather than the large, small lesions that are typical of a stroke or brain inflammation.
This discovery led the scientists to conclude that the abnormalities they found may not have been caused directly by the coronavirus itself. The findings require further study to pinpoint how the virus affects the central nervous system.
