The inflammation caused by COVID-19 is known as the ‘cytokine storm’.
Studies have shown that the COVID-19 virus invades the brain.
This study may help explain why people infected with COVID-19 are reporting cognitive symptoms such as brain fog and fatigue.
Study co-author Professor William A. Banks said:
“We know that having COVID makes it difficult to breathe because there is an infection in the lungs, but an additional explanation is that the virus enters the respiratory center of the brain and causes problems there as well.”
Studies in mice have found that the virus can enter the brain.
After being injected into the body, the virus’ so-called “spike proteins” ended up in 12 areas of the brain.
The spike protein usually separates from the virus and wreaks havoc in the body just like the virus itself.
The spike protein is transported faster in male mice and this may explain the specific susceptibility of males to the virus.
Professor Banks said:
“S1 protein may cause the brain to release cytokines and pro-inflammatory substances.”
The inflammation caused by COVID-19 is known as the ‘cytokine storm’.
A “storm” is an overreaction of the immune system to kill viruses.
In the process, infected people experience brain fog, fatigue, and other cognitive problems, along with the main symptoms of the virus.
Professor Banks said:
“You don’t want to ruin this virus.
Many of the effects of the COVID virus can be accentuated or perpetuated by the virus entering the brain, and those effects can last for a very long time.
The spike protein functions similarly to an important HIV protein called gp120.
Both act as the “arms” of the virus, helping the virus to grab onto its receptors.
Both gp120 and COVID spike protein are potentially toxic to brain tissue.
The study was published in a journal Nature Neuroscience (Rhea et al., 2020).
