Listen to Story A new study suggests that damage to the brainstem, which connects the brain to the spinal cord and acts as the brain’s "control centre," may be responsible for the long-lasting physical and mental effects seen in people who had severe Covid-19. Researchers from the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford used advanced MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanners to study the brains of 30 people who were hospitalised with severe Covid-19 during the early days of the pandemic. They found that Covid-19 can harm the brainstem, which controls basic functions like breathing, heart rate, and anxiety.
The findings from this study are published in the journal Brain . The study showed that damage in this part of the brain may explain why some people continue to experience symptoms like breathlessness, fatigue, and anxiety long after their Covid-19 infection has passed. Researchers found that Covid-19 can harm the brainstem, which controls basic functions like breathing, heart rate, and anxiety.
(Photo: University of Cambridge) The team used special MRI scanners, called 7-Tesla or 7T scanners, which can see tiny details in the brain and detect inflammation. These scans revealed abnormalities in several parts of the brainstem, particularly in areas responsible for breathing. These abnormalities were found to be more common in people who had severe Covid-19, and they appeared weeks after the initial infection.
The research team believes that these changes are l.