Summary: A new research reveals that the SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins remains in brain-protective organs and bones bone marrow for years after infection, possible driving much COVID’s neurological symptoms. Researchers used cutting-edge imaging to examine the raised spike proteins levels in these regions, which increased the risk of degenerative conditions and chronic brain inflammation.
Residue protein may also pose risks despite the findings of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, which have been shown to decrease spike proteins by 50 %. The findings emphasize the need for novel treatments and first diagnostic techniques to handle head health’s long-term effects.
Important Information:
- Burst proteins remains present in skull bone marrow for many years after infection.
- The brain’s 50 % spike proteins concentration is reduced with mRNA vaccines.
- The presence of severe spike proteins may lead to brain aging and increased injury risk.
Origin: Helmholtz
Researchers from Helmholtz Munich and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität ( LMU) have identified a mechanism that may explain the neurological symptoms of long COVID.
The research shows that the SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins remains in the body’s protective levels, the pericardium, and the skull’s bone blood for up to four years after infection.
This frequent appearance of the spike protein may trigger , serious inflammation , in affected people and increase the risk of degenerative diseases.
Additionally, according to the research led by Prof. Ali Ertürk, Director of the Helmholtz Munich Institute for Intelligent Biotechnologies, mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations significantly lower the brain’s peak protein’s formation.
However, new therapeutic approaches may be able to be developed based on the boldness of spike protein after infections in the bones and pericardium.
In the head, spike proteins is accumulated.
A book AI-powered scanning method developed by Prof. Ertürk’s team provides new insights into how the SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins affects the brain.
The process renders organs and , cell samples , open, enabling the three-dimensional representation of biological structures, metabolites, and, in this case,  , popular proteins.
The researchers found earlier unobservable spike protein distribution in cells samples from COVID-19 people and mice using this technology.
The study,  , published , in the journal , Cell Host &, Microbe, revealed considerably elevated amounts of spike proteins in the corpse’s bone marrow and pericardium, even years after infection.
The spike proteins ties to so-called ACE2 receptors, which are especially abundant in these parts.
” This may make these cells particularly susceptible to the long-term concentration of peak protein”, explains Dr. Zhouyi Rong, the study’s initial artist.
Ertürk adds,” Our information also suggest that frequent spike proteins at the brain’s territories may contribute to the long-term cerebral effects of COVID-19 and long COVID. This could lead to a decline of five to ten years of good brain function in the affected person due to increased brain aging.
Immunization stops brain disease and spike proteins formation.
The Ertürk group discovered that the BioNTech/Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 vaccine significantly reduces the formation of peak protein in the mind. Another mRNA vaccines or vaccine forms, such as vector- or protein-based vaccinations, were no investigated.
In contrast to unvaccinated animals, those who were given the mRNA vaccine had lower rates of spike protein in both brain cells and skull bone marrow. The decline, however, was only about 50 %, leaving behind residual spike protein, which still poses a dangerous threat to the brain.
” This decrease is an important step”, says Prof. Ertürk. ” Our results, while derived from rat models and only partly applicable to humans, level to the need for additional treatment and initiatives to fully tackle the long-term responsibilities caused by SARS-CoV-2 diseases”.
Furthermore, additional studies are needed to evaluate the relevance of these findings for long COVID patients.
Long COVID: A societal and medical challenge
Globally, 50 to 60 percent of the population has been infected with COVID-19, with five to ten percent experiencing long COVID. There are approximately 400 million people who may carry significant amounts of spike protein, or so.
” This is not just an individual health issue—it is a societal challenge”, says Prof. Ertürk.
” Our study concludes that mRNA vaccines provide essential protection and significantly lower the risk of long-term neurological effects. However, infections can still occur post-vaccination, leading to persistent spike proteins in the body.
These can lead to increased risk of strokes and other brain injuries, which have significant effects on global public health and health care systems.
Advances in diagnosis and treatment
According to Ertürk,” Our findings open new avenues for diagnosing and treating the long-term neurological effects of COVID-19.
Unlike brain tissue, the skull’s bone marrow and meninges—areas prone to spike protein accumulation—are more accessible for medical examinations.
This might be possible to find spike proteins or inflammatory markers in blood plasma or cerebrospinal fluid in combination with protein panels, which are tests used to identify specific proteins in tissue samples.
” Such markers are critical for the early diagnosis of COVID-19-related neurological complications,” Ertürk explains.
Additionally, the identification of these proteins may aid in the development of targeted therapies and biomarkers to treat or even stop COVID-19-related neurological conditions.
Highlighting the broader impact of the study, leading Helmholtz Munich and Technical University of Munich virologist Prof. Ulrike Protzer adds”, Given the ongoing global impact of COVID-19 and the increasing focus on long-term effects, this study, which sheds light on , brain , invasion pathways and unexpected long-term host involvement, is timely. These crucial insights are of significant scientific significance for society as well.
About this lengthy COVID research update
Author: Verena Schulz
Source: Helmholtz
Contact: Verena Schulz – Helmholtz
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
” Persistence of spike protein at the skull-meninges-brain axis may contribute to the neurological sequelae of COVID-19” by Zhouyi Rong et al. Cell Host &, Microbe
Abstract
Persistence of spike protein at the skull-meninges-brain axis may contribute to the neurological sequelae of COVID-19
SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with long-lasting neurological symptoms, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.
Using optical clearing and imaging, we observed the accumulation of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in the skull-meninges-brain axis of human COVID-19 patients, persisting long after viral clearance.
Further, biomarkers of neurodegeneration were elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid from long COVID patients, and proteomic analysis of human skull, meninges, and brain samples revealed dysregulated inflammatory pathways and neurodegeneration-associated changes.
In SARS-CoV-2-infected mice, the spike protein distribution patterns were comparable.
Injection of spike protein alone was sufficient to induce neuroinflammation, proteome changes in the skull-meninges-brain axis, anxiety-like behavior, and exacerbated outcomes in mouse models of stroke and traumatic brain injury.
After an infection in mice, vaccinations prevented spike protein accumulation but did not.
Our findings suggest that COVID-19’s persistent spike protein may contribute to long-lasting neurological sequelae.
