WASHINGTON, D.C. — The cluster of neurological symptoms associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, the virus that causes COVID-19, suggests the virus can enter the brain and affect neural function. New findings were presented at Neuroscience 2021, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world’s largest source of emerging news about brain science and health.
Although much of the attention on COVID-19 centers on its respiratory effects, the virus has significant neurological manifestations as well. Many people infected with SARS-CoV-2 report neurological and psychiatric symptoms, including headache, loss of sense of smell and taste, hallucinations, vivid dreams, depression, fatigue, “brain fog,” and even seizures or stroke. These symptoms suggest the virus is capable of reaching the brain and may also affect other areas of the nervous system. Even for those who initially recover, many will experience lingering cognitive or neurological problems for months post-infection.
Today’s new findings show:
“We are just beginning to understand the central nervous system manifestations of COVID-19,” said Rita Balice-Gordon, the chief executive officer of Muna Therapeutics, an early-stage company working on novel therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases. “The research presented today adds important new information about the neurobiological mechanisms underlying COVID’s effects on cognition and behavior.”
This research was supported by national funding agencies including the National Institutes of Health and private funding organizations. Find out more about COVID-19 and the brain on BrainFacts.org.
Nervous System Manifestations of COVID-19 Press Conference Summary
NRP1 and Furin as Putative Mediators of SARS-CoV-2 Entry in Human Brain Cells
Ashutosh Kumar, drashutoshkumar@aiimspatna.org , Abstract P322.04
Sensory and Autonomic Ganglia of the Peripheral Nervous System Are Permissive to Infection With SARS-CoV-2 and May Provide an Avenue of Neural Invasion in K18-hACE2 Mice
Jonathan D. Joyce, jjoyce84@vt.edu , Abstract P322.06
Transsynaptic Spread Combined With Glia-Driven Neuroinflammatory Response Orchestrate the Neuro-Invasive Potential of SARS-CoV-2 in an Aged Monkey Model of COVID-19
John H. Morrison, jhmorrison@ucdavis.edu , Abstract P318.02
Resting State Electroencephalography (rsEEG) In Individuals Recovering From COVID-19 After Self-isolation: A Longitudinal Observational Study
Allison B. Sekuler, asekuler@research.baycrest.org , Abstract P322.05
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About the Society for Neuroscience
The Society for Neuroscience is the world's largest organization of scientists and physicians devoted to understanding the brain and nervous system. The nonprofit organization, founded in 1969, now has nearly 37,000 members in more than 90 countries and over 130 chapters worldwide.