Cerebrospinal fluid offers clues to post-COVID 'brain fog'

[Consul]

In a small study with 32 adults, comprising 22 with cognitive symptoms and 10 control participants without, researchers from UC San Francisco and Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, analyzed the cerebrospinal fluid of 17 of the participants who consented to lumbar puncture. All participants had had COVID but had not required hospitalization.

They found that 10 of 13 participants with cognitive symptoms had anomalies in their cerebrospinal fluid. But all four of the cerebrospinal samples from participants with no post-COVID cognitive symptoms were normal. The research publishes on Jan. 18, 2022 in Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology.
[...]
Examinations of the cerebrospinal fluid revealed elevated levels of protein, suggesting inflammation, and the presence of unexpected antibodies found in an activated immune system. Some were found in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid, implying a systemic inflammatory response, or were unique to the cerebrospinal fluid, suggesting brain inflammation. While the targets of these antibodies are unknown, it is possible that these could be "turncoat" antibodies that attack the body itself.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-01-cerebrospinal-fluid-clues-post-covid-brain.html

 

[keepontruckin]

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220118111405.htm

 

[Pyrrhus]

Risk factors and abnormal cerebrospinal fluid associate with cognitive symptoms after mild COVID-19 (Apple et al., 2022)
https://doi.org/10.1002/acn3.51498

"abnormal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)" = elevated CSF protein or abnormal oligoclonal banding

Excerpt:

Cognitive post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC) can occur after mild COVID-19. Detailed clinical characterizations may inform pathogenesis.

We evaluated 22 adults reporting cognitive PASC and 10 not reporting cognitive symptoms after mild SARS-CoV-2 infection through structured interviews, neuropsychological testing, and optional cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) evaluations (53%).

Delayed onset of cognitive PASC occurred in 43% and associated with younger age. Cognitive PASC participants had a higher number of pre-existing cognitive risk factors (2.5 vs. 0; p = 0.03) and higher proportion with abnormal CSF findings (77% vs. 0%; p = 0.01) versus controls. Cognitive risk factors and immunologic mechanisms may contribute to cognitive PASC pathogenesis.
[...]
CSF was analyzed in 53% of participants (17/32), reflecting 59% (13/22) with cognitive PASC and 40% (4/10) of cognitive controls.
[...]
[Lumbar punctures (LP)] were performed a median of 9.7 months (IQR: 6.9–13.9) after first COVID-19 symptom. Overall, 77% (10/13) of participants with cognitive PASC had a CSF abnormality compared with 0% (0/4) of cognitive controls (p = 0.01). Two participants with cognitive PASC displayed elevated CSF protein without other explainable cause (59 and 76 mg/dL; reference range 15–45 mg/dL).
[...]
Abnormal oligoclonal banding (OCB) patterns were identified in 69% (9/13) of participants with cognitive PASC compared to 0% of cognitive controls (p = 0.03).

 

[Violeta]

"CSF protein concentration is one of the most sensitive indicators of pathology within the CNS."

I wonder how one would clear the protein and/or antibodies from the cererospinal fluid?

 

[Zebra]

Cut & paste from article: cerebrospinal fluid revealed ... the presence of unexpected antibodies found in an activated immune system. Some were found in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid, implying a systemic inflammatory response, or were unique to the cerebrospinal fluid, suggesting brain inflammation. While the targets of these antibodies are unknown, it is possible that these could be "turncoat" antibodies that attack the body itself.

***

I sure wish they would identify or specify these antibodies for the reader and those of us trying desperately to get to the root cause of our own systemic or neuro inflammation.

 

[Violeta]

This paper has some good ideas.

Achieving brain clearance and preventing neurodegenerative diseases—A glymphatic perspective

Tekla Maria Kylkilahti

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0271678X20982388

 

[godlovesatrier]

Interesting paper. Says glymohatic function is impaired by disturbed sleep. Which almost all of us even the mild patients have. Not sure how we fix that one. I've yet to really find anything that will knock me out for a full night's sleep without building a tolerance or potentially causing harm to the brain.

 

[Violeta]

Interesting paper. Says glymohatic function is impaired by disturbed sleep. Which almost all of us even the mild patients have. Not sure how we fix that one. I've yet to really find anything that will knock me out for a full night's sleep without building a tolerance or potentially causing harm to the brain.

I posted that in the middle of the night, I had insomnia. After I posted it, I thought, wait a minute, I can't sleep well, I can't run at the moment, and I don't think I'm going to go out of my way to eat PUFAs. I was thinking of deleting it when I woke up this morning, but, oh well. It does have some good information, but yeah, lacking good ideas.

 

[BrightCandle]

I posted that in the middle of the night, I had insomnia. After I posted it, I thought, wait a minute, I can't sleep well, I can't run at the moment, and I don't think I'm going to go out of my way to eat PUFAs. I was thinking of deleting it when I woke up this morning, but, oh well. It does have some good information, but yeah, lacking good ideas.

I haven't eaten any PUFAs in years, its not something I think makes much of any difference at all. Nowadays its just how I eat and avoid the various intolerances and PUFAs are universally considered unhealthy so I don't eat them now I have found alternatives.