Do neurological symptoms in COVID-19 cases arise from an infection of the brain, or are they a consequence of inflammation in the rest of the body? A study from the NATON consortium, published in Nature Neuroscience, provides evidence for the latter theory. The research team, led by NATON project coordinator Helena Radbruch (Charité), analyzed various areas of the brains of 21 individuals who had died in the hospital, mostly in the intensive care unit, due to severe COVID-19 infections. For comparison, nine patients who succumbed to other conditions after intensive medical treatment were included. No SARS-CoV-2 infected nerve cells were found. However, some nerve cells, particularly in the nuclei of the vagus nerve, appear to respond to inflammation in the rest of the body— for example, by activating the interferon signaling pathway. ‘In this way, inflammation is, in a sense, transmitted from the body to the brain, which can disrupt its function,’ said Radbruch.
