Brain autopsies of critically ill COVID-19 patients demonstrate heterogeneous profile of acute vascular injury, inflammation and age-linked chronic brain diseases.
Sonal AgrawalJose M FarfelKonstantinos ArfanakisLena Al-HarthiTanner ShullTara L TeppenArnold M EviaMayur B PatelE Wesley ElySue E LeurgansDavid A BennettRupal MehtaJulie A SchneiderPublished in: Acta neuropathologica communications (2022)
Acute tissue injuries and microglial activation were the most common abnormalities in COVID-19 brains. Focal evidence of encephalitis-like changes was noted despite the lack of detectable virus. The majority of older subjects showed age-related brain pathologies even in the absence of known neurologic disease. Findings of this study suggest that acute brain injury superimposed on common pre-existing brain disease may put older subjects at higher risk of post-COVID neurologic sequelae.
Keyphrases
- brain injury
- liver failure
- resting state
- sars cov
- cerebral ischemia
- white matter
- coronavirus disease
- respiratory failure
- drug induced
- functional connectivity
- aortic dissection
- physical activity
- oxidative stress
- middle aged
- community dwelling
- hepatitis b virus
- lps induced
- spinal cord
- respiratory syndrome coronavirus
- neuropathic pain
- spinal cord injury
- mechanical ventilation