How COVID-19 can damage the brain

How COVID-19 can damage the brain



Some evidence that SARS-CoV-2 can infect the brain comes from ‘organoids’ — clumps of neurons created in a dish. (Erik Jepsen/UC San Diego)

How COVID-19 can damage the brain

Confusion, disorientation, agitation and even psychosis can be symptoms of COVID-19. Accumulating research is making the connection between infection with the virus and neurological symptoms. Researchers are pinning down possible physiological mechanisms, such as brain inflammation, that might be causing the symptoms. But the answers to key questions, including why some of those infected suffer neurological damage but most do not, elude researchers. Scientists want to know whether the virus itself is causing the damage, or whether an overactive immune response is to blame. “The neurological symptoms are only becoming more and more scary,” says neuroscientist Alysson Muotri.

Nature | 7 min read