New Findings: SARS-CoV-2 Virus Invades Neurons and Infects Brain

Researchers have found that various variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, including the original strain from Wuhan and the Gamma, Delta, and Omicron/BA.1 variants, are capable of infecting the central nervous system and migrating within neurons. The study confirms that SARS-CoV-2 can infect human neurons in vitro and spread through axons, the nerve cell projections. The researchers also discovered that the virus can infect the olfactory bulb, a structure involved in processing olfactory information. The study suggests that the spread of the virus in the nervous system may occur even in asymptomatic cases, and further research is needed to understand the long-term effects and symptoms associated with brain infection.