Genetic markers associated with neurological problems in COVID-19, Peter the Great St. It was discovered by specialists from the St. Petersburg Polytechnic University and the Ufa University of Science and Technology. The new data will allow the development of clinical tests to identify risk groups for such complications among patients with COVID-19. This was reported to socialbites.ca at the Ministry of Education and Science.
The scientists analyzed the genomes of 336 volunteers aged 18-25 years who had mild to moderate COVID-19 and experienced neurological symptoms. Severe headaches, memory and sleep problems, impaired sense of smell, taste, anxiety, and depression that occurred during the illness or after recovery lasted for about a year.
As a result, four genes were found whose activity predicted the occurrence of these complications.
One of them (FURIN) provides a closer interaction of human cell receptors with the coronavirus itself, indicating an initial higher susceptibility to COVID-19 infection.
The latter (NR1H2) is involved in the regulation of inflammatory processes, therefore it is directly related to the manifestation of neurological symptoms in mild to moderate disease.
The third and fourth (SLC6A20, FYCO1) are associated with metabolic processes in nervous tissue and the secretion of anti-inflammatory cytokines, thus directly related to long-term neurological complications after COVID-19.
“The genetic variants we discover will help other researchers of the neurological consequences of COVID-19 expand their analysis and subsequently identify the mechanisms and biological processes that lead to such complications,” PhD in Biology, Lead Investigator in the Center computational in biology at SPbPU, the UUNiT neurocognitive genomics laboratory head, Alexander Kanapin.
In many world studies, it has already been proven that the genetic condition of a person significantly affects the predisposition to the disease and the severity of its course. The genes found will help predict the course of the disease in certain patients and accordingly prescribe the right treatment immediately.