“Sars-CoV-2 infection spreads through the nasal cavity to the brain”. It is one of the trajectories of the virus that scientists followed almost immediately, when in the midst of the Covid pandemic, neurological problems such as encephalitis, changes in mental status, memory loss, dizziness, nausea, headaches were documented as post-contagion sequelae. , the now famous ‘cognitive fog’ and the widespread loss of smell and taste (the latter species with the first variants). However, there was also something else in the medical news: some cases of parkinsonism emerged in Covid patients during or immediately after Sars-CoV-2 infection with symptoms such as rigidity, resting tremor in the upper limbs and slowing of movements. Italian researchers had given an account of this when exploring the possibility of a post-viral parkinsonian syndrome. Today a study published in ‘Cell Reports Medicine’ explores this further the potential adverse interactions between the Covid virus and Parkinson’s diseaseevaluating them in dopaminergic neurons derived from human embryonic stem cells and in mice.
A ‘dangerous relationship’ between the virus and neurodegenerative disease. What the authors managed to ‘photograph’ is the deterioration of the molecular and cellular phenotype, i.e. of the set of characteristics of Parkinson’s disease, by Sars-CoV-2.
The pathogen “worsens the death of dopaminergic neurons” induced by preformed alpha-synuclein fibrils and “triggers prolonged neuroinflammation for over 60 days in mice”, report the authors of the work, a group of researchers from universities in South Korea and the USA (Gyeongsang National University, Kyung Hee University, University of California Los Angeles). “Although an association between Parkinson’s and viral infections has been recognized, the impact of Sars-CoV-2 on the progression of the neurodegenerative disease was unclear – explain the scientists – Our study demonstrates that Sars-CoV-2 infection increases the risk of Parkinson’s“.
The results highlight that “Covid infection” aggravates Parkinson’s susceptibility and cellular toxicity” in dopaminergic neurons. “Furthermore, nasal Sars-CoV-2 infects these neurons in mice” used as a model, “aggravating the damage initiated by human preformed fibrils.”
“Infected mice show persistent neuroinflammation even after the virus is no longer detectable in the brain – explain the researchers – A comprehensive analysis suggests that the inflammatory response mediated by astrocytes”, a group of cells in the central nervous system, “and microglia “, another population of cells, which performs immune function, “could contribute to increasing the susceptibility to Parkinson’s associated with the virus”. Ultimately, “these findings improve our understanding of the potential long-term effects of ‘Covid’ infection on the progression of Parkinson’s disease,” the scientists conclude.
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