Project Summary:
The state of Wisconsin, like the rest of the United States, has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, with widespread repercussions on health, daily life, and the economy. Now, many people who've gotten over the worst of COVID-19 are dealing with ongoing problems called "long COVID." Among these issues, brain fog, headaches, and feeling tired all the time are the most common complaints. Doctors and scientists aren't completely sure why these symptoms happen, but they think it might be because the body's immune system damages blood vessels in the brain and changes the balance of bacteria in the gut. The gut and the brain are connected, and when COVID-19 messes with the gut, it might mess with the brain, too. To understand this better, this project's research team plans to use state-of-the-art MRI scans to look for brain vascular damage, study the different types of bacteria in people's guts, and give thorough check-ups to long COVID patients. This research could lead to understanding long COVID better and maybe even find new treatments to help people with these long-term problems.
By utilizing advanced neuroimaging techniques, comprehensive clinical measurements, unique assessments of the microbiome, and integrating multiple levels of analysis, the researchers' findings have the potential to offer essential insights for clinical practices. The identification of pathways through which long COVID can be prevented, such as by positively influencing the gut microbiome during the recovery phase of acute illness (for example, through dietary supplementation with beneficial microbes that produce butyrate or their byproducts), could have significant clinical implications for individuals at a high risk of developing long COVID. As millions of Americans, including many residents of Wisconsin, continue to face the lasting effects of COVID-19, the project team's ultimate goal is to translate these valuable insights into tangible healthcare solutions.