It has been found that the COVID-19 virus can reach brain cells within a week of being infected, causing brain damage and inflammation. Getty Images Bank
It has been confirmed that infection with the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) can cause serious nerve damage and inflammation within a week.
A research team from the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) in the United States published a study showing that the virus can migrate to brain cells within a week of being infected with the 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 of last year, 80% of those infected with COVID-19 show neurological symptoms. However, it is not known whether it is due to a reaction from general body inflammation or whether the virus has a direct effect.
The research team visualized the interaction between the virus and brain cells by observing the changes that occur after infection with SARS-coronavirus-2 in young, healthy rhesus monkeys and old rhesus monkeys with type 2 diabetes, respectively, using a high-performance microscope. As a result of the analysis, the virus was found in the brain tissue and cells of the monkey a week after infection with the Corona 19 virus.
John Morrison, professor of neurology at the UC Davis, said:
This phenomenon appears to be more fatal in the elderly or those with underlying medical conditions. In young, healthy monkeys, the virus was found only in the olfactory cortex, whereas in older monkeys with type 2 diabetes, the virus was observed not only in the sensory and perceptual areas of the brain, but also in the 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 very susceptible to Alzheimer’s,” Morrison said. In addition, a decrease in brain cells was also observed in older infected monkeys.
In the future, the research team plans to conduct additional research to determine the effect of brain damage or neurological complications caused by COVID-19 on Long COVID, a long-lasting sequelae.
A visualization of the SARS-CoV-2 (light blue) reaching the nerve cells of the brain (red). Provided by CNPRC