A small study from the U.S . National Institutes of Health says the immune response caused by COVID-19 infection may damage the brain's blood vessels .
美国国立卫生研究院的一项小型研究称，新冠病毒感染引起的免疫反应可能会损害大脑的血管。
The reaction could lead to neurological problems known as long COVID .
这种反应可能导致被称为“长新冠”的神经系统问题。
In the study , researchers examined brain changes in nine people who died suddenly after being infected with SARS-CoV-2 , the virus that causes COVID-19 .
在这项研究中，研究人员检查了九名感染新冠病毒SARS-CoV-2后突然死亡者的大脑变化。
The results appeared last week in the publication Brain .
研究结果上周发表在期刊《大脑》上。
This causes inflammation and damage .
这会导致炎症和损伤。
The results were similar to an earlier study done in 2020 .
结果与2020年进行的一项早期研究相似。
This suggests the virus was not attacking the brain directly .
这表明病毒并没有直接攻击大脑。
NIH scientist Avindra Nath is the senior researcher of the study .
美国国立卫生研究院科学家阿文德拉·纳斯是这项研究的资深研究员。
He said , “We had previously shown blood vessel damage and inflammation in patients ’ brains at autopsy , but we didn't understand the cause of the damage .”
他说：“我们之前在尸检中发现了患者大脑中的血管损伤和炎症，但我们并不了解造成损伤的原因。”
An autopsy is the examination of a dead body to find out the cause of death .
尸检是对尸体进行检查以查明死因。
For the study , Dr . Nath and a team of researchers examined brain tissue from nine individuals between the ages of 24 and 73 .
为了这项研究，纳斯博士和研究团队检查了九名年龄在24岁至73岁之间者的脑组织。
The individuals were chosen because their scans showed signs of blood vessel damage in the brain .
之所以选择这些人，是因为他们的扫描结果显示出脑血管受损的迹象。
The scans were then compared to those from 10 individuals in a control group .
随后，这些扫描结果与对照组中10人的扫描结果进行了比较。
The researchers found that antibodies produced to fight COVID-19 may mistakenly target cells that line the brain's blood vessels .
研究人员发现，为对抗新冠病毒而产生的抗体可能会错误地攻击脑血管内壁的细胞。
These cells , called endothelial cells , serve as barriers to keep harmful substances from reaching the brain .
这些细胞称为内皮细胞，起着屏障作用，防止有害物质进入大脑。
Damage to the cells causes bleeding and blockage in some COVID-19 patients and increases the risk of stroke .
这些细胞受损会导致一些新冠患者出血和血管堵塞，并增加中风的风险。
As in their earlier study , researchers found signs of leaky blood vessels .
与之前的研究一样，研究人员发现了血管渗漏的迹象。
This suggests that the links between endothelial cells in the blood-brain barrier were damaged .
这表明血脑屏障中内皮细胞之间的连接受到了损伤。
Dr . Nath said that once the leaks happened , immune cells “may come to repair the damage , setting up inflammation ” in the brain .
纳斯博士说，一旦发生渗漏，免疫细胞“可能会前来修复损伤，从而在大脑中引发炎症”。
Researchers also found changes in gene expression in areas with damage to the endothelial cells .
研究人员还在内皮细胞受损的区域发现了基因表达的变化。
More than 300 genes showed decreased expression , while six genes showed increased expression .
300多个基因的表达降低，而六个基因的表达升高。
The affected genes are connected to the brain's ability to deal with chemical imbalances in the body .
受影响的基因与大脑应对体内化学失衡的能力有关。
Together , these findings may provide information about the cause of neurological problems related to COVID-19 .
综合来看，这些发现可能有助于揭示与新冠相关的神经系统问题的成因。
The findings may also be used to find new treatments to target the damaged links between the endothelial cells in the blood-brain barrier .
这些发现还可用于寻找新的疗法，针对血脑屏障中内皮细胞之间受损的连接。
The study may also help with understanding and treating long-term neurological conditions after COVID-19 .
这项研究还可能有助于理解和治疗新冠后的长期神经系统疾病。
The conditions include headache , tiredness , loss of taste and smell , sleep problems , and forgetfulness known as “brain fog .”
这些疾病包括头痛、疲倦、味觉和嗅觉丧失、睡眠问题以及被称为“脑雾”的健忘。
If the nine patients in the study had survived , the researchers believe they would have likely developed long COVID .
研究人员认为，如果研究中的九名患者幸存下来，他们很可能会患上长新冠。
“It is quite possible that this same immune response persists in long COVID patients ,” Dr . Nath said .
“这种免疫反应很有可能在长新冠患者体内持续存在。”纳斯博士说。
The findings , he added , are “very important ” to researchers seeking to find treatments for long COVID .
他补充说，这些发现对寻找长新冠疗法的研究人员来说“非常重要”。