Severe Asthma Linked to Structural Brain Changes, Study Finds
- The findings suggest that chronic inflammation driving severe asthma may affect more than the lungs.
- Researchers from the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Bristol and City St George's University of London recruited 50 participants with severe type-2 asthma and compared them against 25...
- George Nava, NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer, Bristol Academic Respiratory Unit
The findings suggest that chronic inflammation driving severe asthma may affect more than the lungs.
Brain Imaging Reveals Microscopic White Matter Changes
Researchers from the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Bristol and City St George’s University of London recruited 50 participants with severe type-2 asthma and compared them against 25 people with well-controlled mild or moderate type-2 asthma, as reported. Participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging utilizing a technique called quasi-diffusion imaging, or QDI. This advanced scan reveals the microscopic structure of white matter pathways in the brain. White matter acts as the brain’s internal communication network, connecting separate regions so information travels efficiently. Investigators found less-organized white matter among participants suffering from severe asthma than in the control group. Beyond white matter organization, the team identified measurable variations in the physical size of specific brain structures. These included distinctions in the hippocampus and temporal lobes. Dr. George Nava, an NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer in the Bristol Academic Respiratory Unit who presented the findings at the congress, noted the biological implications of the data.
Dr. George Nava, NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer, Bristol Academic Respiratory Unit
Connection to Type-2 Inflammation Levels
The study established a direct link between the degree of white matter alteration and systemic levels of type-2 inflammation across all study participants. Severe type-2 asthma stems from an overactive immune response that causes persistent inflammation, frequent attacks, and severe breathing difficulties, often requiring multiple intensive medications. While the observational study cannot definitively prove that inflammation directly causes these structural brain changes, researchers indicate the correlation highlights a biological pathway requiring deeper study.
Dr. George Nava, NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer, Bristol Academic Respiratory Unit
Next Steps and Treatment Reversibility Questions
Following these findings, the research team is actively investigating whether these structural brain differences change after patients begin targeted biologic therapies designed to suppress type-2 inflammation.
One of the most important questions is whether these brain changes can be prevented or reversed. We hope our ongoing work will help answer that.
Professor Apostolos Bossios, Karolinska Institutet