COVID-19 causes neuronal degeneration and reduces neurogenesis in human hippocampus

• Published in: Apoptosis (London) Vol. 27; no. 11-12; pp. 852 - 868
• Main Authors: Bayat, Amir-Hossein, Azimi, Helia, Hassani Moghaddam, Meysam, Ebrahimi, Vahid, Fathi, Mobina, Vakili, Kimia, Mahmoudiasl, Gholam-Reza, Forouzesh, Mahdi, Boroujeni, Mahdi Eskandarian, Nariman, Zahra, Abbaszadeh, Hojjat-Allah, Aryan, Arefeh, Aliaghaei, Abbas, Abdollahifar, Mohammad-Amin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.12.2022; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Apoptosis; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Brain; Cancer Research; Cell Biology; Central nervous system; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Cytology; Degeneration; Glial cells; Health aspects; Hippocampus; Inflammation; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Microglia; Morphology; Neurodegeneration; Neurodegenerative diseases; Neurogenesis; Neurological complications; Neuronal-glial interactions; Neurons; Oncology; Oxidative stress; Physical characteristics; Physiological aspects; Pyramidal cells; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Spatial distribution; Viral diseases; Virology; Viruses; COVID-19; Degeneration; Glial cells; Sholl analysis; Hippocampus
• ISSN: 1360-8185; 1573-675X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10495-022-01754-9

Recent investigations of COVID-19 have largely focused on the effects of this novel virus on the vital organs in order to efficiently assist individuals who have recovered from the disease. In the present study we used hippocampal tissue samples extracted from people who died after COVID-19. Utilizing histological techniques to analyze glial and neuronal cells we illuminated a massive degeneration of neuronal cells and changes in glial cells morphology in hippocampal samples. The results showed that in hippocampus of the studied brains there were morphological changes in pyramidal cells, an increase in apoptosis, a drop in neurogenesis, and change in spatial distribution of neurons in the pyramidal and granular layer. It was also demonstrated that COVID-19 alter the morphological characteristics and distribution of astrocyte and microglia cells. While the exact mechanism(s) by which the virus causes neuronal loss and morphology in the central nervous system (CNS) remains to be determined, it is necessary to monitor the effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection on CNS compartments like the hippocampus in future investigations. As a result of what happened in the hippocampus secondary to COVID-19, memory impairment may be a long-term neurological complication which can be a predisposing factor for neurodegenerative disorders through neuroinflammation and oxidative stress mechanisms.