New research has found that debilitating symptoms caused by Covid-19 may arise from long-term changes in the brain.

Using advanced magnetic resonance imaging technology, researchers have found that prolonged shortness of breath and fatigue appear to be caused by an immune response to the coronavirus.

The research team at the University of Cambridge deployed seven Tesla-powered scanners capable of producing extraordinarily precise images of living brains to study the brainstems of 30 people hospitalized at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Researchers found that the brains of patients hospitalized with long-term Covid symptoms showed abnormalities in areas related to breathing. The team suggested that the long-lasting symptoms may be an indirect consequence of inflammatory brainstem injury after Covid-19.

The study found that several areas of the brainstem, which serve as an important connection between the brain and the spinal cord and are responsible for many vital functions, showed signs of a neuroinflammatory response. These abnormalities were found weeks after patients were hospitalized with Covid-19, particularly in areas of the brain responsible for regulating breathing.

Commenting on the importance of the findings published in the journal Brain, study co-author Dr. Catarina Rua, from Cambridge’s Department of Clinical Neurosciences, said they could lead to more effective treatments for chronic Covid-19.

“The brainstem is the critical junction box between our conscious selves and what is happening in our bodies,” said Professor James Rowe, also from the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, who co-led the research. “The ability to see and understand how the brainstem changes in response to COVID-19 will help explain and treat the long-term effects more effectively.”