Understanding the full extent of the viral invasion is crucial to treating patients and discovering the possible long-term consequences of COVID-19.
Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine recently discovered how the SARS-CoV-2 virus can directly infect the central nervous system. The findings also began to help give a more complete understanding of how the virus impacts cells in the brain, potentially helping to develop treatments for different types of neurological symptoms that are associated with coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).
Published in Journal of Experimental Medicine, the study was conducted in an attempt to answer the remaining questions, such as whether the virus can infect neurons or other types of brain cells. The researchers used human brain organoids, which are miniature 3D organs that are grown in a laboratory from human stem cells, to analyze the ability of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to invade cells.
“Understanding the full extent of the viral invasion is crucial for treating patients, as we begin to try to discover the long-term consequences of COVID-19, many of which are expected to involve the central nervous system,” Akiko Iwasaki, professor at Yale School of Medicine said.
The findings showed that the virus infected neurons in organoids and used them as a means of replicating itself. The virus also appeared to replicate itself, increasing the metabolism of the infected cells, while the surrounding uninfected neurons died due to reduced oxygen supply.
In addition, the researchers behind the study analyzed the brains of 3 patients who succumbed to COVID-19 and detected the virus in the cortical neurons of 1 of them. Infected regions of the brain have been associated with ischemic heart attacks, where a decrease in blood supply can cause localized tissue damage and cell death.
“Our study clearly demonstrates that neurons can become a target for SARS-CoV-2 infection, with devastating consequences of localized ischemia in the brain and cell death,” said Kaya Bilguvar, senior co-author of the study. “Our results suggest that the neurological symptoms associated with COVID-19 may be related to these consequences and may help guide rational approaches for the treatment of patients with COVID-19 with neuronal disorders.”