Florey researchers warn of COVID-19’s ‘silent wave’

Is the world prepared for a wave of neurological consequences that may be on its way as a result of COVID-19?

This question is at the forefront of research underway at the Florey where a team of neuroscientists are examining the potential link between COVID-19 and increased risk of Parkinson’s disease.

It was a report of a seemingly minor symptom of the virus that first caught the eye of lead researcher Professor Kevin Barnham and then PhD Candidate Dr Leah Beauchamp. Hearing that three out of four people infected with COVID-19 experience reduced or complete loss of smell led the team into an investigation that resulted in them being among the first in the world to publish on the potential long-term neurological effects of COVID-19, dubbing it the ‘silent wave’.

“While this symptom can appear as little cause for concern, it actually tells us a lot about what’s happening inside which is acute inflammation in the olfactory system responsible for smell,” explained Dr Beauchamp.

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Inflammation is understood to play a major role in neurodegenerative diseases and has been particularly well studied in Parkinson’s. Professor Barnham and Dr Beauchamp’s expertise in this area led them not only to warn about the impact of COVID-19, but to pursue an early diagnosis method for Parkinson’s disease.

“We believe loss of smell, which presents in around 90% of people in early stages of Parkinson’s and a decade ahead of motor symptoms, provides a way forward in detecting someone’s risk of developing the disease early,” added Dr Beauchamp.

Clinical diagnosis of Parkinson’s currently relies on presentation of motor dysfunction, but research shows that 5070% of dopamine cell loss in the brain has already occurred by this time. Professor Barnham says that by waiting until this stage to diagnose and treat, the window for therapies to have their intended effect has already been missed.

The team, which also includes Professors David Finkelstein and Ashley Bush from the Florey, as well as clinical collaborator Dr Andrew Evans, are working to change this. They hope to establish a simple screening protocol to identify people at risk of developing Parkinson’s, or who are in early stages of the disease, at a time when therapies have the greatest potential to prevent onset of motor dysfunction. They have developed two neuroprotective therapies that are currently under investigation and recently identified a cohort of subjects who are ideally suited to study the treatments.

“We can take insight from the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918 where the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease increased two to three-fold after the event,” said Professor Barnham. He continued,