SARS-CoV-2 invasion of the central nervous: a brief review

Link to article at PubMed

Hosp Pract (1995). 2021 Feb 8. doi: 10.1080/21548331.2021.1887677. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

There is increasing evidence of the ability of the novel coronavirus to invade the central nervous system (CNS). But how does a respiratory virus invade the highly protected CNS? Here, we reviewed available literature and case reports to determine CNS involvement in COVID-19, and to identify potential regions of the brain that may be affected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its possible route of entry into the brain to identify its pathogenicity. Based on the symptoms, the parietal lobe and the cerebellum are the likely targets of SARS-CoV-2, however further work is needed to elucidate this. The presence of ACE2, used by SARS-CoV-2 for cell entry, in the brain as well as detection of the virus in the cerebrospinal fluid, further assert that SARS-COV-2 targets the brain, and therefore, medical practitioners should take that into account when dealing with patients suffering from COVID-19.

PMID:33554684 | DOI:10.1080/21548331.2021.1887677

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