SARS-CoV-2 Brain Regional Detection, Histopathology, Gene Expression, and Immunomodulatory Changes in Decedents with COVID-19

• Published in: Journal of neuropathology and experimental neurology Vol. 81; no. 9; pp. 666 - 695
• Main Authors: Serrano, Geidy E, Walker, Jessica E, Tremblay, Cécilia, Piras, Ignazio S, Huentelman, Matthew J, Belden, Christine M, Goldfarb, Danielle, Shprecher, David, Atri, Alireza, Adler, Charles H, Shill, Holly A, Driver-Dunckley, Erika, Mehta, Shyamal H, Caselli, Richard, Woodruff, Bryan K, Haarer, Chadwick F, Ruhlen, Thomas, Torres, Maria, Nguyen, Steve, Schmitt, Dasan, Rapscak, Steven Z, Bime, Christian, Peters, Joseph L, Alevritis, Ellie, Arce, Richard A, Glass, Michael J, Vargas, Daisy, Sue, Lucia I, Intorcia, Anthony J, Nelson, Courtney M, Oliver, Javon, Russell, Aryck, Suszczewicz, Katsuko E, Borja, Claryssa I, Cline, Madison P, Hemmingsen, Spencer J, Qiji, Sanaria, Hobgood, Holly M, Mizgerd, Joseph P, Sahoo, Malaya K, Zhang, Haiyu, Solis, Daniel, Montine, Thomas J, Berry, Gerald J, Reiman, Eric M, Röltgen, Katharina, Boyd, Scott D, Pinsky, Benjamin A, Zehnder, James L, Talbot, Pierre, Desforges, Marc, DeTure, Michael, Dickson, Dennis W, Beach, Thomas G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Oxford University Press 01.09.2022
• Subjects: Amygdala; Biological products; Brain; Brain diseases; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Diagnosis; Gene Expression; Genes; Genetic aspects; Health aspects; Histochemistry; Histopathology; Humans; Immunity; Immunomodulators; Neurological research; Neurons; Original; Risk factors; RNA; RNA polymerase; RNA sequencing; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; United States; Canada; Maryland; Arizona; Encephalitis; SARS-Cov-2; Amygdala; Cytokine; Olfactory bulb; Deafferentation; Microglia

Abstract Brains of 42 COVID-19 decedents and 107 non-COVID-19 controls were studied. RT-PCR screening of 16 regions from 20 COVID-19 autopsies found SARS-CoV-2 E gene viral sequences in 7 regions (2.5% of 320 samples), concentrated in 4/20 subjects (20%). Additional screening of olfactory bulb (OB),...