Hamsters with long Covid exhibits a neurodegenerative signature in the brainstem
“Using the golden hamster as a model, we provide further evidence that SARS-CoV-2 is neuroinvasive and can persist in the central nervous system, as we found viral RNA and replicative virus in the brainstem after 80 days of infection.”
Quantitative susceptibility mapping at 7 T in COVID-19: brainstem effects and outcome associations | Brain | Oxford Academic
“In COVID-19 survivors, the MR susceptibility increased in the medulla, pons and midbrain regions of the brainstem. Specifically, there was increased susceptibility in the inferior medullary reticular formation and the raphe pallidus and obscurus. In these regions, patients with higher tissue susceptibility had worse acute disease severity, higher acute inflammatory markers, and significantly worse functional recovery.”
In COVID-19 survivors, the MR susceptibility increased in the medulla, pons and midbrain regions of the brainstem. Specifically, there was increased susceptibility in the inferior medullary reticular formation and the raphe pallidus and obscurus. In these regions, patients with higher tissue susceptibility had worse acute disease severity, higher acute inflammatory markers, and significantly worse functional recovery.
