It has been found that the COVID-19 virus can reach brain cells within a week of infection, causing brain damage and inflammation. Bank Getty Images
It has been confirmed that infection with the new coronavirus (COVID-19) infection can cause severe nerve damage and inflammation within a week.
A research team from the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) in the United States has published a study showing that the virus can migrate to brain cells within a week of being infected with SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19 , and cause nerve damage and inflammation in an international scientific journal. Cell Report ‘was announced on October 12 (local time).
According to a study published in the JAMA Network Open at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in May last year, 80 percent of people infected with COVID-19 show neurological symptoms. However, it is not known whether it is due to a reaction from a general inflammation of the body or whether the virus has a direct effect.
The research team visualized the interaction between the virus and brain cells by looking at the changes that occur after SARS-coronavirus-2 infection in young and healthy rhesus monkeys and older rhesus monkeys with type 2 diabetes, respectively. using a high performance microscope. As a result of the analysis, the virus was found in the monkey’s brain tissue and cells one week after infection with the Corona 19 virus.
John Morrison, professor of neurology at UC Davis, said:
This phenomenon appears to be more fatal in the elderly or those with underlying medical conditions. In young and healthy monkeys, the virus was found only in the olfactory cortex, while in older monkeys with type 2 diabetes the virus was observed not only in sensory and perceptual areas of the brain, but also in areas related to emotions, cognition. and memory. This means that COVID-19 infection can affect dementia diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegenerative diseases.
“In older monkeys, the virus has been shown to infect neurons in areas known to be highly susceptible to Alzheimer’s,” Morrison said. Furthermore, a decrease in brain cells was also observed in older infected monkeys.
In the future, the research team plans to conduct more research to determine the effect of brain damage or neurological complications caused by COVID-19 on Long COVID, a long-lasting sequela.
A visualization of SARS-CoV-2 (blue) reaching the nerve cells of the brain (red). Provided by CNPRC
