Coronavirus can cause long-term loss of brain tissue, finds new Covid study

Mangalore Today News Network / News18

New Delhi, Jun 18, 2021:  A new study examined the impact of coronavirus on the brain before and after infection and looked specifically at the potential effect on the nervous system.

 

According to CNBC, Dr Scott Gottlieb warned about the potential for long-term brain loss associated with coronavirus, citing the new study from the United Kingdom. “In short, the study suggests that there could be some long-term loss of brain tissue from Covid, and that would have some long-term consequences,” the former FDA chief and CNBC contributor said.

Dr Govindrajan Padmanaban, President of India’s National Academy of Science and Former Director of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, had said, “Covid-19 can infect many organs including the brain, although many get cured on their own in the milder states. In serious cases, such as after recovery from ICUs, there can be concerns about changes in memory etc. The practice of Yoga can help.”

Researchers have discovered that SARS-CoV-2 can directly infect the central nervous system and have begun to unravel some of the virus’s effects on brain cells. The study, that used both mouse and human brain tissue, indicates that SARS-CoV-2 can affect many other organs in the body, including, in some patients, the central nervous system, where infection is associated with a variety of symptoms ranging from headaches and loss of taste and smell to impaired consciousness, delirium, strokes and cerebral hemorrhage.

The study, published on Wednesday in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), the team analysed the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to invade human brain organoids (miniature 3D organs grown in the lab from human stem cells).The researchers found that the virus was able to infect neurons in these organoids and use the neuronal cell machinery to replicate. The virus appears to facilitate its replication by boosting the metabolism of infected cells, while neighbouring, uninfected neurons die as their oxygen supply is reduced.