Covid-19: how the virus can infect neurons

Gradually, the mystery of the effects of Covid-19 on the brain begins to be unraveled. The coronavirus can infect neurons, triggering local immune responses that could be the cause of neurological and psychological complications linked to Covid-19, found a dutch study published in an American journal specializing in microbiology mSphere.

The spread of the virus stops quickly and is limited to a few brain cells, but this minimal infection causes a reaction of “cytokines”, the messengers between immune cells, playing a role in local inflammation, the study concluded. . Explanations.

The virus could enter the brain via the olfactory nerve

“What we have seen is consistent with the fact that infection with SARS-CoV-2 rarely leads to severe encephalitis because the virus spreads uncontrollably in the brain,” Debby van Riel explained in a statement. , virology researcher at Erasmus MC hospital, Rotterdam.

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“But the fact that SARS-CoV-2 can eventually enter the brain via the olfactory nerve and locally infect cells, which in turn leads to an inflammatory response, may certainly contribute to neurological disorders,” he said. she clarified.

Neurological and psychiatric disorders reported since the start of the pandemic

Since the start of the pandemic, patients around the world have reported neurological and psychiatric disorders, such as memory problems, headaches, rare psychoses and even encephalitis (inflammation of brain tissue).

One in three people who overcame Covid-19 was diagnosed with neurological or psychiatric disorders within six months of infection, a large study published in the specialist journal said in April. The Lancet Psychiatry.

A growing body of data indicates that the virus could enter the brain via the olfactory nerve. However, what happens after SARS-CoV-2 enters the brain remains poorly understood.

Research needed on the role of the immune system

“In addition to what our study indicates, the immune system probably also plays a role. More research is needed to find out,” said researcher Femke de Vrij, from the psychiatry department at Erasmus Hospital.

The researchers observed the virus over a short period of time in the laboratory, in cultured neuronal cells, obtained from induced pluripotent strains (iPS).

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“We also only looked at a limited number of types of brain cells,” added Femke de Vrij, noting that further research may shed light on the “effects of viral infection on structures. short- and long-term cerebral systems “.