By Karen Kier
Pharmacist on behalf of the ONU HealthWise team

Brain Damage was a song performed by the progressive rock band, Pink Floyd. The song was released in 1973 as a single on The Dark Side of the Moon album. This album spent 364 weeks on the United Kingdom charts and was a global sensation. The band was formed in London in 1965 and developed a following as part of the British psychedelic scene. Later, the group would be better described as an innovator of space rock with their use of distorted guitar sounds and synthesizers. 

Pink Floyd was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. The band’s last performance was in 2005 as part of the Live 8 concert as a call to action among global leaders to deal with issues of poverty. Interestingly, two members of the original band, Nick Mason and David Gilmour, reformed Pink Floyd in 2022 to release the song “Hey, Hey, Rise Up!” to protest the Russo-Ukrainian War. 

Another important issue has been the global COVID-19 pandemic and the continued research related to long COVID. The CDC is using the term post-COVID conditions, but many names have been used to describe the longstanding issues after a SARS CoV-2 infection. One area of research has been focused on the damage that COVID-19 infections can cause to the brain. 

Early in the pandemic there were significant reports of brain fog, confusion and fatigue (tired or exhausted). Additional research published in Therapeutic Advances in Chronic Disease in February 2022 found that about 30-60% of patients report prolonged nervous system symptoms months after a COVID-19 infection. The most common complaints are fatigue, brain fog, headache, sleep disorders and dysautonomia. 

Dysautonomia is when the body’s autonomic nervous system is not performing normally. The autonomic nervous system controls many involuntary body functions such as blood pressure, heartbeats, breathing, digestion, and sweating. Many patients with long COVID often report symptoms relating to the dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. 

Healthcare professionals and scientists were not sure of the actual cause for these symptoms even after the acute viral attack was over. Images of brain tissue showed evidence of microclots or small blood clots. Inflammation caused by the virus was considered as a rational reason to explain the symptoms in addition to the blood clots. 

In February 2021, researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine and Brigham and Women’s Hospital found a cell that is normally located in our bones was traveling to the brain in response to the viral infection. The cell is called a megakaryocyte, which is an immature platelet cell waiting to be released in the body on demand to control such things as bleeding. The platelet is part of the glue that stops the body from bleeding. So, this could help explain the blood clots in the brain seen with COVID-19. 

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a report on July 5, 2022 describing results from a small study evaluating potential explanations for post COVID-19 brain damage. The NIH researchers published the results in the medical journal Brain. The research compared brain tissue from individuals who had died from COVID-19 to those who had died from other causes. All of the COVID-19 patient samples showed signs of blood vessel damage in the brain. 

The researchers were able to determine the virus did not directly enter the brain and the damage was not a direct viral attack. Rather, the study determined the damage was the result of an attack on the cells that line the brain’s blood vessels leading to inflammation, bleeding, and clots. The scientists concluded the antibodies (body’s defense cells) created to fight the virus were actually the responsible party for the damage, which resulted in thinning and leaking blood vessels in the brain. This leaking and bleeding are what triggers the body to release platelets, which confirms the findings by Hopkins and Brigham researchers. 

Could this damage to the brain have further ramifications?

A study in JAMA Psychiatry provided evidence for an increased risk of neuropsychiatric complications from severe COVID-19 infections. The researchers found an increase risk of post-COVID-19 diagnoses of anxiety, dementia, depression, psychosis, and bipolar disorder with new prescriptions to treat the conditions within 12 months of hospital discharge. The risk of developing these symptoms was about 2 and ½ times more likely in those with a COVID-19 infection compared to individuals who had not experienced a COVID-19. Interestingly, the researchers found these same neuropsychiatric risks were similar in patients who had other severe acute respiratory infections resulting in hospitalization not related to COVID-19. 

This research gives us insight into post-COVID-19 symptoms. It is important to talk to your healthcare provider if you are experiencing any of these issues. 

ONU HealthWise is offering COVID-19 including boosters Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Call the pharmacy for an appointment for other time slots. The ONU HealthWise pharmacy offers Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines. Call the pharmacy to get more information. 

ONU HealthWise Pharmacy
511 W Lincoln Ave, Ada, OH 45810
419-772-3784
www.onuhealthwisepharmacy.com