How COVID-19 invades and destroys the human brain?

How COVID-19 invades and destroys the human brain?

How COVID-19 invades and destroys the human brain? JEM: Yale University reveals how COVID-19 invades and destroys the human brain.

At present, the trend of the COVID-19 pandemic has not slowed down. As of January 14, there were more than 700,000 new confirmed cases every day, cumulative infections of more than 92 million, and nearly 2 million deaths.

At present, the trend of the COVID-19 pandemic has not slowed down. As of January 14, there were more than 700,000 new confirmed cases every day, cumulative infections of more than 92 million, and nearly 2 million deaths.

Although the COVID-19 pneumonia (COVID-19) is considered to be mainly a respiratory disease, in fact, the COVID-19 virus can infect and affect multiple organs of the human body, even the central nervous system
(CNS) The infection of the central nervous system by the new coronavirus can cause a variety of symptoms, including headaches, loss of taste and smell, disturbance of consciousness, delirium, stroke, and cerebral hemorrhage. Studies have shown that patients with delirium are at a high risk of developing dementia, which means that the COVID-19 global pandemic, in addition to the symptoms brought about at the time, may also lead to a global surge of dementia patients a few years later.

Whenever we think that the COVID-19 virus cannot be more insidious, but the reality is always slapped in the face.
Recently, researchers from Yale University published a research paper titled Neuroinvasion of SARS-CoV-2 in human and mouse brain in JEM magazine.

The study found that the COVID-19 virus can directly invade the brain’s nervous system and reveal its invasion mechanism, which provides a powerful help for the development of treatment methods for COVID-19-related neurological symptoms.

Although the new coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) is considered to be mainly a respiratory disease, in fact, the new coronavirus can infect and affect multiple organs of the human body, even the central nervous system (CNS).

A comprehensive study of the impact of the new coronavirus on the human body is essential for the treatment of patients. Researchers are trying to find the long-term consequences of the new coronavirus infection on the human body, many of which involve the central nervous system.

In fact, humans still have many questions to answer about the new coronavirus, such as whether the new coronavirus can directly infect neurons or other brain cells. To answer this question, the research team used three independent methods to explore the ability of the new coronavirus to infect the brain.

First, the research team analyzed the ability of the new coronavirus to invade human brain organs. Studies have found that the new coronavirus can infect neurons in human brain organoids and use the system in neuronal cells to replicate themselves. More critically, the new coronavirus seems to be able to promote the replication of infected neurons by promoting their metabolism, and it can also cause the death of adjacent uninfected neurons due to reduced oxygen supply.

There are many dying cells (green) infected by the new coronavirus (red) around the neuron (grey)

As we all know, the new coronavirus invades cells by binding to the ACE2 receptor on the surface of lung cells, but it was previously unclear whether the ACE2 receptor exists on the surface of brain cells. These experimental results confirmed that neurons can produce ACE2 receptors, and blocking ACE2 of neurons can prevent the new coronavirus from invading human brain organs.

Furthermore, the research team used a genetically engineered mouse model expressing human ACE2 receptors for in vivo animal experiments. The experimental results showed that the new coronavirus can infect the brain of the mouse model and cause drastic changes in the cerebral blood vessels, thereby destroying Oxygen supply to organs. The researchers also found that the central nervous system infection with the new coronavirus is more lethal to mice than lung infections.

Finally, the research team performed an autopsy on 3 patients who died of new coronavirus pneumonia. The new coronavirus was detected in the cerebral cortex neurons of one of the dead patients. The infected brain area of ​​the patient was related to ischemic infarction, and three patients In the brain tissue of the deceased, the army detected a cerebral microinfarction.

This research covers three aspects: human brain organoids, engineered mouse models, and human brain
It has been confirmed that the new coronavirus has the ability to directly infect the central nervous system and invade the brain.

This study clearly shows that brain neurons can become targets of new coronavirus infections. The infection of the brain by new coronaviruses can cause cerebral ischemia and cell death, with devastating consequences. The neurological symptoms of patients with new coronavirus pneumonia may be related to these consequences.

The research team pointed out that further research is needed to determine which patients are more likely to be invaded by COVID-19 expression in the brain, and to determine the specific pathways for COVID-19 expression to invade the brain, as well as the order in which different cell types in the brain are infected. This research helps guide reasonable methods To treat new coronavirus patients with neurological symptoms.

(sourceinternet, reference only)

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