COVID-19 is in our Brains now?

-Sashreek Ganguli, Amity University Kolkata

The manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 on various body systems are being thoroughly studied in this global pandemic. Amidst all the other systems which the virus affects, the nervous system is frequently involved in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

Neurological abnormalities were seen in 30% of hospitalized patients. It was discovered that certain brain tissues express receptors like Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme-2 which are utilized by SARS-CoV-2 as docking receptors for entry into the cell. The virus invades the brain tissue through the olfactory route, the blood-brain-barrier, and through the infiltration of infected immune cells. In patients with mild COVID-19, neurological symptoms are mostly confined to non-specific abnormalities such as malaise, dizziness, etc. Although, rare there has been consistent reporting of encephalopathy in various cohorts with COVID-19. Ischemic stroke has also been seen in hospitalized patients with a frequency between 1%-3% although the role that SARS-COV-2  might play in these is unclear.

There is very limited data on the interaction of SARS-CoV-2 with the brain. Therefore, conclusions have to be considered preliminary and subject to further scrutiny. No specific treatment exists for neurological manifestations. However, because the neurological complications emerge mainly in severe systemic disease, minimizing hypoxia and protecting the brain from cytokines, DAMPs, PAMPs, and thromboembolic complications are important therapeutic goals.

Source- Effects of COVID-19 on the Nervous System, Costantino Iadecola, Josef Anrather, and Hooman Kamel(2020), Cell ,Page 1-7, Doi- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2020.08.028

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