Head injury may awaken ‘dead’ viruses within our body, study finds

Our immunity may go for a toss when our head or brain is exposed to serious, repeated blows. A new study has found that such a knock may ‘awaken’ and render effective those viruses inside our body which had already been arrested by our immune system.

The study was conducted using stem cell 'mini brains' and it revealed that a herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) infection, already neutralised by our immune system, came to life again as brain tissues suffered injuries.

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"We thought, what would happen if we subjected the brain tissue model to a physical disruption, something akin to a concussion?" said Dana Cairns, an engineer from Tufts University in the US. The researcher wanted to check whether HSV-1 would wake up and start the process of neurodegeneration.

Apparently, it did wake up.

Findings

In a brain-like representation of tissues, researchers noted that clumps and tangles of proteins had formed a week after the injury. This may potentially turn into a neurodegenerative disease like Alzheimer's.

The researchers have noted a rise in neurodegenerative diseases among patients who suffered traumatic brain injuries, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

It was also revealed that the mini brains that were eight weeks old did better in coping with the injuries than those four weeks old. It means that young, developing brains are at higher risks of getting neurodegenerative diseases post-head traumas.

"Our results show that TBI causes reactivation of latent HSV-1 in our 3D brain model… and that if the injury is repeated, the damage is much greater than after a single blow," the researcher noted.

The scientists said more studies are required to find out how to mitigate or stop the affect or damage caused by “head injury, such as anti-inflammatory and antiviral treatment after injury, thereby preventing HSV-1 reactivation in the brain and reducing subsequent development of Alzheimer's disease."

(With inputs from agencies)