Grant for research into long-term effects of COVID-19
Cecilie Bay-Richter, associate professor at the Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University has received DKK 200,000 from the Riisfort Foundation for research into mental health consequences of COVID-19 infection.
In collaboration with her research team, Cecilie Bay-Richter hopes to be able to identify specific psychiatric and cognitive long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 and account for the underlying biological mechanisms.
Covid-19 is categorised as a respiratory disease, but the disease has been shown to affect many other organs, including the brain. Up to 40% of patients experience acute psychiatric symptoms, and a high number report long-term effects on their mental health.
The research team has recently published a systematic review in which they show that many former COVID patients suffer from anxiety, depression and/or cognitive disorders up to six months after the acute infection, and that chronic fatigue can be demonstrated in the patients for even longer. In order to achieve a greater understanding of these long-term effects, the team uses a mouse model which exhibits a disease process very similar to the human COVID infection. The research team examines animal behaviour and changes in the brain. These studies include measurements of the brain's signalling substances, as well as both molecular and structural targets for an inflammatory condition.
The team's preliminary results indicate that the animals suffer from inflammation in the brain as well as dysregulation of important neurotransmitters. It will be very important to clarify whether such changes in the brain can be the cause of long-term effects on mental health as this may have an impact on future treatment options.
Contact
Cecilie Bay-Richter, Associate Professor, PhD
Aarhus University, Department of Clinical Medicine
Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit
Universitetsbyen 13
8000 Aarhus C
Phone: 21 22 87 50