Led by University of Queensland, the research team identified a potential future risk for neurodegenerative conditions in people who have had COVID-19, but also a possible treatment. The study is published in Nature's Molecular Psychiatry.
"We studied the effect of the virus on the brain's immune cells, 'microglia' which are the key cells involved in the progression of brain diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's," lead author of the study Professor Woodruff said.
"Our team grew human microglia in the laboratory and infected the cells with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19." he added.
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Co-author of the study Dr Albornoz Balmaceda said triggering the inflammasome pathway sparked a 'fire' in the brain, which begins a chronic and sustained process of killing off neurons.
"We found the cells effectively became 'angry', activating the same pathway that Parkinson's and Alzheimer's proteins can activate in disease, the inflammasomes," he said, adding, "It is kind of a silent killer, because you don't see any outward symptoms for many years."
"It may explain why some people who have had COVID-19 are more vulnerable to developing neurological symptoms similar to Parkinson's disease," he said.
The spike protein of the virus was enough to start the process and was further exacerbated when there were already proteins in the brain linked to Parkinson's, the researchers found.
"So if someone is already pre-disposed to Parkinson's, having COVID-19 could be like pouring more fuel on that 'fire' in the brain," Professor Woodruff said, adding, "The same would apply for a predisposition for Alzheimer's and other dementias that have been linked to inflammasomes."
However, the study also found a potential treatment after administering a class of UQ-developed inhibitory drugs which are currently in clinical trials with Parkinson's patients.
"We found it successfully blocked the inflammatory pathway activated by COVID-19, essentially putting out the fire," Dr Albornoz Balmaceda said.
"The drug reduced inflammation in both COVID-19-infected mice and the microglia cells from humans, suggesting a possible treatment approach to prevent neurodegeneration in the future," he added.
Professor Woodruff said while the similarity between how COVID-19 and dementia diseases affect the brain was concerning, it also meant a possible treatment was already in existence.
"Further research is needed, but this is potentially a new approach to treating a virus that could otherwise have untold long-term health ramifications," Professor Woodruff said.
The UQ team was led by Professor Trent Woodruff and Dr Eduardo Albornoz Balmaceda from UQ's School of Biomedical Sciences, and virologists from the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences.
With PTI inputs.
