The Linseman Laboratory’s study investigates long-term brain health effects of COVID-19 in individuals with and without traumatic brain injury . Preliminary findings suggest those with a history of both COVID-19 and TBI experience more severe long COVID symptoms. The study also explores biomarkers in blood samples, indicating that exosomes from these individuals cause inflammation in lab-grown astrocytes. This research could potentially lead to treatments that inhibit the inflammatory pathway.
The lab, which is run by University of Denver College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics professor Dan Linseman, is part of the Knoebel Institute for Healthy Aging. The lab’s work focuses on neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration, neurotrauma and now long-neurological COVID. So far, the Linseman Lab has preliminary data for 48 of the study’s participants, 28 of whom, like Ron, had COVID-19 and one or more TBIs; 11 had only a TBI; and five had only COVID. And four participants—the control group—had no history of COVID or TBI.
“Concussions you get when you are young can cause persistent underlying damage, and some of that damage is likely persistent neuroinflammation,” Linseman says. “For example, we found that people who have Lyme disease have a certain cadre of neurological symptoms, but if they have a history of concussions, those symptoms are much worse. I think it’s similar with COVID. These are all neurotropic, so they get into the brain. They cause inflammation.
“They’re tagged with little markers that are specific to each cell type that releases them,” Grossberg says. “Inside these little packages are tons of important signaling molecules that help us understand what’s going on in someone’s brain as opposed to just what’s happening in the bloodstream.”