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Brain Inflammation Collaborative Profile picture
Brain Inflammation Collaborative
@BrainInflCollab
We are organizing a coordinated research effort to revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of #neuroinflammation illnesses and #mentalhealth symptoms.
11 subscribers
Dec 13 • 11 tweets • 3 min read
The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein localizes in an unusual place outside the brain.

This localization pattern might explain the neuroinflammatory symptoms experienced during:
- SARS-CoV-2 infection
- Long COVID...🧵 Researchers from Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany found that the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein localizes to the skull's bone marrow.

To understand why this discovery is important in the context of Long COVID we must first learn about the following:
- the meninges
- immune cells in the meninges

Read the scientific publication here: cell.com/cell-host-micr…Image
Nov 19 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
LIVE from #LongCovid International Conference Boston

New DNA variants enriched in pediatric Long COVID cohorts according to work from Dr. Sindhu Mohandas (USC/Children’s Hospital Los Angeles) and her team...🧵

#LongCovidkids There were several individual gene variants enriched in a pediatric long COVID cohort.

Let's discuss the two highlighted by Dr. Mohandas in her talk...
Nov 19 • 6 tweets • 1 min read
LIVE from #LongCovid Conference in Boston – mind-blowing data on viral persistence and immune dysregulation.

Key points from ongoing research from Timothy Henrick, MD, and his team at UCSF:🧵

#LongCOVIDIntl Gut biopsies from LC participants find:
- viral persistence (detecting vRNA) found in 20-25% of samples
- Up to 992 days following the first infection

No viral RNA was detected in fully recovered controls.
Nov 14 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is characterized by:
- Post-exertional malaise
- Unrefreshing sleep
- Brain fog

A new study found that 71% of ME/CFS patients have a condition, which may help explain these core symptoms...🧵 ID: Image of lungs shown in white sitting inside of a black translucent chest cavity Scientists recruited:
- 57 patients diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome
- 25 control participants

The ages and activity levels of the controls matched the chronic fatigue cohort.

71% of the chronic fatigue cohort displayed disordered breathing, unnoticed by those with ME/CFS.

Read more here: buff.ly/PROrAdM
Oct 5 • 10 tweets • 4 min read
Two consistent hallmarks of ME/CFS are:
- Post-exertional malaise (PEM)
- Chronic fatigue

A new study finds more hints at the drivers of these symptoms...🧵 ID: Decorative image of a brain pictured in bright colors like from a radioactive tracer showing brain regions with highest metabolic activity presented on a black background. Researchers from Ian Lipkin's Lab at Columbia University (and others) recruited:
- 56 patients with ME/CFS and
- 52 healthy controls.

Next, they measured the following before and 24 h after exercise:
- Lipids
- Cytokines
- Metabolites
- Plasma proteins

Here is what they found.

Full Study: nature.com/articles/s4432…Image
Oct 3 • 12 tweets • 3 min read
A recent paper revealed the shocking prevalence of neuropsychiatric conditions in patients with mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS)

This includes but is not limited to:
- Panic disorder
- Neuropathy
- Depression
- Brain fog
- Tinnitus
- Anxiety
- PTSD
- etc.

Here are the numbers...🧵ID: Decorative image of a brain made out of Play-Doh with six different bright colors highlighting different regions of the brain. Dr. Leonard Weinstock, in collaboration with a group of other prominent researchers, used questionnaires from:
- 553 MCAS patients
- 558 control subjects

The surveys were used to determine the prevalence of:
- 19 neurologic and
- 14 psychiatric disorders

While the link between neuropsychiatric conditions and MCAS isn't surprising, the magnitude of the reported association was...

Read more:
buff.ly/Nl0U8ZXID: Screenshot of the paper being discussed
Sep 13 • 10 tweets • 4 min read
It's estimated that 65 million individuals worldwide are affected by ME/CFS (1).

However, there are no clinically validated biomarkers.

Here's why that could change...🧵 ID: Decorative image of a brain scan in bright colors on a black background. Researchers from Cornell University sequenced the cell-free ribonucleic acid (cfRNA) from the blood of:
- seditary, healthy controls
- those w/ ME/CFS

They used those RNA sequences to train an AI (machine learning) model.

After training, the model could predict which cfRNA sequences were from an ME patient with 77% accuracy.

But first, what is RNA...Image
Sep 7 • 4 tweets • 3 min read
Persistent chronic inflammation slows the production of serotonin, diverting it instead toward the production of quinolinic acid, a neurotoxin.

This is thought to play a role in psychiatric symptoms associated with chronic inflammation and infections.

Here is why...🧵 ID: Image of a waterfall with the word tryptophan at the top of the waterfall and the words serotonin (good) and quinolinic acid (bad) at the bottom of the water fall. 🧠 The Kynurenine Pathway Background
Often, a linear biochemical pathway can diverge into two pathways, making two different molecules (serotonin and quinolinic acid) from the same reactant (tryptophan).

Biochemical pathways in our cells can be thought of as a waterfall where reactants (tryptophan) rapidly "flow" through a series of enzymatic reactions, producing new molecules.

See the image from above.Image
Sep 5 • 12 tweets • 3 min read
Long COVID is more prevalent in women.

Could this new study explain why? 🧵 ID: Decorative image of a human brain scan. Researchers from 16 different countries recruited 2390 individuals (age 50 ± 15 years, 49.2% women) to assess the impacts of COVID-19 on vascular aging.

They found that persistent COVID-19 symptoms in women correlated with increased vascular aging.

Here is why this matters.

medpagetoday.com/cardiology/gen…
Aug 28 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
Data suggest there is a broken ion channel on the surface of white blood cells in patients with (1):
- Long COVID
- ME/CFS

New evidence suggests it can be fixed.

Here is how...🧵 ID: Cartoon of a purple ion channel protein embedded in the plasma membrane. Research from Dr. Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik in Brisbane, Australia, verified that Long COVID patients, like ME/CFS patients, have a dysfunctional calcium ion channel called TRPM3(1).

The function of this ion channel can be restored with low-dose naltrexone (LDN) in ME/CFS-isolated immune cells (1).

New evidence suggests the same for Long COVID patients. (below)Image
Aug 22 • 7 tweets • 3 min read
New research provides further proof that ME/CFS is a biological condition.

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh found anomalies in 8 different genomic regions in more than 15,000 people diagnosed with the condition.

Here are the details...🧵 ID: Decorative heat map image of two brains with red and yellow splotches on a greenish blue backdrop. But first, a disclaimer.

The research was published in a pre-print journal, meaning it has yet to be peer reviewed.

Thus, it could contain unverified or flawed data, methods, or interpretations.

Let's dive in.

science.org/content/articl…Image
Aug 15 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
45% of those with Long COVID suffer from a sleep disorder (1).

It's so prevalent that it's dubbed 'coronasomnia'.

Here is the science...🧵 \ Coronasomnia:
There is a strong association between Long COVID and the development of:
- insomnia
- sleep continuity disorders
- feeling of non-restorative sleep
- changes in the sleep-waking cycle

However, this is not unique to Long COVID.
Aug 3 • 10 tweets • 4 min read
Neuroinflammation can lead to repetitive movements similar to those observed in:
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

New evidence suggests it might be (partly) treatable with FDA-approved drugs...🧵 ID: A painting of a man on the far right and a women on the left - the man is pictured in grey with yellow specs on his head signifying neuropathology. South Korean researchers found that two FDA-approved drugs can reverse these repetitive movements:
- Memantine - licensed for Alzherimers
- Interleukin-1RA (Anakinra) - licensed for rheumatoid arthritis

Here are the details... simplified.

buff.ly/WfEXTclImage
Jul 14 • 9 tweets • 3 min read
A new study just revealed how psychologically damaging it is to tell a patient that their symptoms are in their head.

Here is what they found...🧵 ID: ‘I still get stressed and weepy … My GP told me I was depressed when in fact I was having seizures … This has caused me so much stress and upset and anger. I’m still very angry and am crying now as I type. I have nowhere to voice this anger’ (Ppt 574, IA, England) "More than 80% of [systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease] patients reported that having their symptoms dismissed as... psychological, along with comments like "it's in your head," harmed their self-worth. For 72%, the experience remained upsetting even decades later."

Read more here:
buff.ly/UiggOoeImage
Jun 28 • 9 tweets • 4 min read
Low-dose nicotine can help alleviate Long COVID symptoms.

Could this explain why?🧵 ID: Screenshot of a Reddit comment section of long COVID patients revealing that nicotine helped alleviate their symptoms. To understand the nicotine hypothesis, we must start with the spike protein.

The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein contains a region similar to neurotoxic proteins found in:
- Rabies virus
- Cobra venom
- Indian krait snake venom

These neurotoxic proteins work by binding and blocking the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) from functioning.

Can the spike protein do the same?ID: Image of an Indian krait snake.
ID: Cartoon image revealing how ACh activates the NAChR and how some venoms do the opposite by blocking the NAChR.
Jun 25 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
Autoantibodies can cause psychosis-like conditions such as:
- delusions
- hallucinations
- impaired thinking or reasoning

But there is a problem.

Brain-attacking autoantibodies unknown to science would be nearly impossible to detect.

Here is how that could change...🧵 ID: Infographic of a quote from Dr. Sam Pleasure explaining, "we think a fraction of patients with psychosis actually have an autoimmune syndrome. Those patients need to be treated very differently from a typical schizophrenia patient, but right now, there's not a clear way to distinguish between them." 🧠 Psychosis & Autoantibodies:
Up to 10% of schizophrenia spectrum disorder patients have been reported to contain an autoantibody called anti-NMDAR that targets the brain, causing autoimmune encephalitis (AE) (autoantibody-driven neuroinflammation) (1).

However, only a few autoantibodies targeting the brain are known to science.

What if there are more?
Jun 21 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
Anti-depressants don't work for roughly 30% of people who take them, known as treatment-resistant depression (TRD).

TRD is likely not caused by a neurotransmitter imbalance but by something else...🧵 ID: Decorative image of electricity radiating from a brain shown as tiny balls of light connected to the brain by thin lines of light. Researchers believe they have identified a cause of TRD: chronic inflammation.

Roughly 1/3 of patients with TRD are chronically inflamed.

Reducing the inflammation is associated with reduced depression... ID: Infographic quote from Dr. Golam Khandaker and immunopsychiatrist from the University of Bristol saying, "about 1/3 of patients who are resistant to antidepressants show evidence of inflammation... anti-inflammatory treatments could be relevant for a large number of people who suffer from depression."
Jun 19 • 6 tweets • 3 min read
Long COVID in adults is characterized by (protein) markers of:
- inflammation
- blood vessel clotting

However, similar studies in pediatric cohorts are almost non-existent... until now.

This study suggests that pediatric Long COVID is characterized by unique pathophysiology and isn't stress- or anxiety-induced...🧵ID: Image of a little girl laying in bed under the covers who looks like she feels ill. Her hand in placed on her forehead to check if she feels warm. To the left is an image of a brain MRI suggesting her illness is neurological in nature. \ The Study:
Scientists from the University of Rome and Fondazione Policlinico Universitario discovered that 34 children and adolescents between the ages of 2 and 18 have an abundance of pro-inflammatory cytokines in their blood.

A subset of the cytokines have angiogenic (blood vessel growth-promoting) properties.

Read more: buff.ly/7NN1lyZID: A screenshot of the first page of the pediatric long COVID paper published in Nature.
Jun 12 • 8 tweets • 3 min read
It's estimated that 5.8 million young people have Long COVID. (1)

A recent study revealed that 65 of 92 (71%) children with Long COVID had a form of orthostatic intolerance, including postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) (2).

Here is one powerful way the connection between POTS and pediatric Long COVID is being investigated...🧵ID: Close up image of a young girl dressed in black standing in front of a black background staring hopelessly into the camera with sad eyes. Being a kid today is hard enough.

They are forced to navigate:
- a highly polarized world
- technology overload
- cyberbullying
- etc.

If that weren't hard enough, the data suggests (1) a large subset of kids also have to manage their lifestyle-altering chronic health condition...Long COVID.

But wait, there is more.ID: A female teenager stands with arms folded staring helplessly at the ground with ear buds in her ears so she can ignore her two peers, standing on either side of her with their arms out and fingers waving in her face.
Jun 10 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
After two SARS-CoV-2 infections, Heather Carr became largely bed-bound and nearly unable to string together a basic train of thought.

“I cry when I try to think, now,” she said. “My brain short-circuits.”

Census data suggests there are millions more just like her in the U.S...🧵ID: Image of 31 year old Heather Carr sitting outside with her hand propping up her head as she sits hunched over wearing an N95 mask with the look of physical exhaustion on her face. The Census Bureau's monthly Current Population Survey asks Americans if they have serious problems with their memory or concentration.

Respondents are classified as disabled if they answer yes.

Although there is no disability insurance (financial) incentive, the number answering "yes" has increased by 1.5 million since the pandemic (red line).Image
Jun 8 • 8 tweets • 3 min read
April Burrell lived in a psychiatric hospital for 20 years.

Her catatonic state left her immobile and unresponsive.

But after 2 decades, she suddenly woke up.

Here is why..🧵 ID: Image of April Durrell as a healthy young women superimposed on a pink image of her attempting to draw a clock when she was sick compared to when she received treatment. At the age of 21, April, a high school valedictorian and accounting major at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, suddenly developed a severe form of schizophrenia.

Her psychosis caused visual and auditory hallucinations.

Unable to take care of herself, she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

Read more here:
washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/…