Parasite-induced hypercoagulability and its potential harmful effect on cerebrovascular system

This was my first full-time, on-site research experience at a time when the world was cautiously reopening after waves of COVID-19 lockdowns. The pandemic had shown how a viral infection could leave lasting effects beyond recovery. Survivors frequently reported what came to be known as ‘brain fog’. Amid that uncertainty, I became curious about how systemic physiological changes originating outside the brain might quietly affect the brain’s function and health.

Blood circulates throughout the body, carrying oxygen, nutrients, and immune-derived molecules corresponds to the body’s systemic changes. The brain is often described as ‘immune-privileged’ organ, simlply say, brain is largely protected from direct immune cell infiltration. However, I wondered whether changes in the blood’s own properties, such as hypercoagulability or increased viscosity, could still impose mechanical stress on the cerebrovascular system.

I focused on parasite-induced immune activation as an example. Parasitic infections elevate eosinophil levels, and in turn, eosinophil secreted proteins can make the blood hypercoagulable(prone to clotting). Using mouse models, I visualized cerebral vasculature and identified watershed area in mouse brain. Watershed area are vulnerable to blood clotting (lacunar infarction), cause they are comprised of vessles with small diameters being distal from major arteries. With qRT-PCR, I measured elevated hypoxia-related transcription, suggesting subtle but real cerebrovascular stress.

This project shaped my early interest in the relationship between brain and cerebrovasculature, where systemic conditions can influence the brain indirectly. It also led me toward later questions about neurovascular coupling and the glymphatic system, deepening my fascination with the brain circulation and its function.

Presentation:

• Department-wide undergraduate thesis seminar talk in GIST School of Life Sciences (open to professors and students across the department)

Presentation Material: