COVID-19 linked to neurological symptoms, studies show

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Two new research papers are shedding light on what can happen to the brain after getting COVID

Gladstone Institutes Senior investigator, Professor Katerina Akassoglou explains how this damage could be happening.

“The evidence from the brain from COVID patients we know that there are blood leaks in the brain of those patients in inflammation and when there is a leaky area between the blood and the brain this could be an amplifier of neurological symptoms,” said Professor Akassoglou.

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Brain Selected Our Image For The August 2021 Volume

Illustration by Ella Marushchenko

The Akassoglou Lab showed toxic blood leaks in the brain inhibiting remyelination with implications for the development of therapeutic strategies for neuro-repair in multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases with blood-brain barrier disruption and myelin damage. From Petersen et al. BMP receptor blockade overcomes extrinsic inhibition of remyelination and restores neurovascular homeostasis. Pp. 2291-2301.

Momentum, NMSS Magazine – A big part of the MS puzzle

Barancik Prize winner Katerina Akassoglou, PhD, studies links between the brain, immune system, and blood-brain barrier.

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AARP’s $60 Million Investment in Dementia Research Continues to Pay Off

hand holding test tube in front of brain scans

A small team of scientists at the Akassoglou Lab is working on what could be a big breakthrough in treating dementia and other brain diseases. To read full article , click here. 

New Research Center to Tackle Brain Diseases

Katerina Akassoglou will lead the new Gladstone-UCSF Center for Neurovascular Brain Immunology, which brings together a unique combination of expertise to enable novel therapies for Alzheimer Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis. To read full article, click here. 

Momentum, NMSS Magazine – A big part of the MS puzzle

July 11, 2019

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Momentum_Interview 2019

Fibrinogen Induces Microglia-Mediated Spine Elimination and Cognitive Impairment in an Alzheimer’s Disease Model, Published in Neuron, Mar 2019

February 5, 2019

Gladstone scientists Katerina Akassoglou and Mario Merlini found that a blood protein destroys memory storage sites in the brain and may lead to new treatments.

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New Immunotherapy Targeting Blood-Clotting Protein Protects MS and AD, Published in Nat Immunol 2018

October 15, 2018

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$4.5 Million to Study How Neurovascular Dysfunction Contributes to Neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s Disease

October 31, 2019

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Jorge Palop (left) and Katerina Akassoglou (right) received an NIH grant to study the link between neurovascular dysfunction and cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease.