In early 2020, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) suddenly impacted lives across the globe. We rushed to adapt our everyday lives as the world went into panic mode. Quarantine, isolation, and social distancing were terms we were to soon become familiar with. COVID-19 was and continues to be life-threatening and quickly spreading. It is known that the virus impacts the respiratory system, with breathing issues and chest pain being serious symptoms. While COVID-19 has been fatal in many patients, many patients have also recovered from this virus. However, at what cost?
In early stages of COVID-19, it was reported that 36% of hospitalized patients were having issues with their Central Nervous System (CNS) as a result of the virus. Because the CNS has previously been linked to the 2003-2004 SARS outbreak, it is reasonable to believe that patients with COVID-19 may also experience damage to their CNS.
The present study by Kanberg et al., (2020) explored whether the COVID-19 has impacted the CNS of patients who have had the virus, and if so, how severe. This was the first study that examined the effects of COVID-19 on the CNS as the virus is still new and ongoing. The study explored how the virus reaches the brain. Kanberg et al., did so by measuring plasma biomarkers in CNS injuries. Plasma biomarkers basically measure biochemical changes and the two plasma biomarkers used in this study for CNS injury were GFAp and NfL. GFAp refers to neurofilament light chain protein and is used as a marker of astrocytic activation/injury. Astrocytes are important to many important CNS functions such as blood flow. NfL refers to neurofilament light chain protein and is a biomarker of neuronal injury, aka damage to nervous tissue.
Results of the study showed that high plasma concentrations of GFAp and Nfl were found in patients with severe cases of COVID-19. When comparing initial testing to follow-up testing in patients with severe cases, GFAp decreased while NfL increased, indicating that astrocytic activation/injury may be common in milder COVID-19 cases while neuronal injury occurs later in more severe COVID-19 cases.
The findings of Kanberg et al., (2020) showed evidence of neuronal injury and glial activations in patients with both moderate and severe COVID-19. This study concluded that patients with COVID-19 experience increased plasma biomarkers of CNS damage. In other words, COVID-19 does in fact impact the CNS. However, further studies are needed to determine the severity of this damage. COVID-19 is still a new virus and therefore the long-term effects on the CNS of patients cannot yet be examined. The COVID-19 epidemic is still ongoing, and the future impact of the virus is still unknown. Future studies should compare the impact of COVID-19 after a longer period of time, on the CNS of patients who have recovered from the virus to truly examine the severity of the damage.
Kanberg, N., Ashton, N. J., Andersson, L., Yilmaz, A., Lindh, M., Nilsson, S., . . . Gisslén, M. (2020). Neurochemical evidence of astrocytic and neuronal injury commonly found IN COVID-19. Neurology, 95(12). doi:10.1212/wnl.0000000000010111
