What SARS-CoV-2 does to our brains

Neurological symptoms in SARS-CoV-2-infected patients have been reported, but their cause remains unclear. In theory, the neurological symptoms observed after SARS-CoV-2 infection could be (1) directly caused by the virus infecting brain cells, (2) indirectly by our body’s local or systemic immune r...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inImmunity Vol. 55; no. 7; pp. 1159 - 1172
Main Authors Aschman, Tom, Mothes, Ronja, Heppner, Frank L., Radbruch, Helena
Format Journal Article Web Resource
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Elsevier Inc 12.07.2022
Elsevier BV
Subjects
Animals
Brain
Central Nervous System
COVID-19
Neuroimmunology
neurotropism
SARS-CoV-2
sickness behaviour
neurotropism
sickness behaviour
SARS-CoV-2
Neuroimmunology
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Summary:Neurological symptoms in SARS-CoV-2-infected patients have been reported, but their cause remains unclear. In theory, the neurological symptoms observed after SARS-CoV-2 infection could be (1) directly caused by the virus infecting brain cells, (2) indirectly by our body’s local or systemic immune response toward the virus, (3) by coincidental phenomena, or (4) a combination of these factors. As indisputable evidence of intact and replicating SARS-CoV-2 particles in the central nervous system (CNS) is currently lacking, we suggest focusing on the host’s immune reaction when trying to understand the neurocognitive symptoms associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this perspective, we discuss the possible immune-mediated mechanisms causing functional or structural CNS alterations during acute infection as well as in the post-infectious context. We also review the available literature on CNS affection in the context of COVID-19 infection, as well as observations from animal studies on the molecular pathways involved in sickness behavior. Aschman et al. discuss possible mechanisms of neuroimmune interactions associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. While there is currently no evidence of replicating virus in the CNS, sickness behavior, as well as cognitive impairment after infections, could be due to the effects of cytokines. Moreover, neuroimmunological diseases associated with COVID-19 may constitute post-infectious syndromes or are autoimmune-mediated processes triggered by acute viral infection.
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These authors contributed equally
ISSN:1074-7613
1097-4180
DOI:10.1016/j.immuni.2022.06.013