SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19, does indeed have the ability to infect neurons. This is what reveals an international study conducted by teams from Yale University (USA), the Brain Institute (Sorbonne University / Inserm / CNRS) and the Pitié Salpêtrière hospital, the results of which were published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine on January 12.
SARS-CoV-2 can infect and multiply in neurons
We suspected, it is now proven. SARS-CoV-2 does not only attack the lungs but the neurons. Very quickly, many patients reported neurological symptoms such as headaches, loss of smell, memory loss or even stroke. To reach this conclusion, the researchers opted for three different approaches: 3D brain cell cultures, a mouse model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and brain tissue from deceased Covid-19 patients. As a result, the virus enters neurons. Infected cells reproduce while neighboring cells eventually die due to a lack of oxygen. ” In the brains of patients who died of Covid-19, the virus has been found in cortical neurons, as well as pathological damage associated with the infection such as ischemic strokes », Specify the authors of the study.
The ACE2 protein, the gateway to the virus
Previous studies have shown that the virus enters the body through the ACE2 protein, found on the surface of cells. This was particularly expressed in the lungs. On the other hand, the question of knowing how the virus entered neurons had not been elucidated until then. Researchers from Yale University (USA), the Brain Institute (Sorbonne University / Inserm / CNRS) and the Pitié Salpêtrière hospital confirm the importance of this protein in the infection of brain cells. According to them, the neurological symptoms reported in Covid-19 could result from this damage to the central nervous system. However, further studies still need to be carried out to determine the route by which the virus enters the brain.
