Title:COVID-19, the Brain, and the Future: Is Infection by the Novel Coronavirus
a Harbinger of Neurodegeneration?
Volume: 21
Issue: 9
Author(s): Adejoke Onaolapo*Olakunle Onaolapo*
Affiliation:
- Behavioural Neuroscience Unit, Neurobiology Subdivision Department of Anatomy, Ladoke Akintola University of
Technology, Ogbomosho, Oyo State, Nigeria
- Behavioural Neuroscience Unit, Neuropharmacology Subdivision, Department
of Pharmacology, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, Oyo State, Nigeria
Keywords:
Alzheimer’s disease, COVID-19, chronic encephalitis, human coronaviruses, neurodegeneration, Parkinson’s disease.
Abstract: The possible impact of viral infections on the development or pathogenesis of neurodegenerative
disorders remains largely unknown. However, there have been reports associating the influenza
virus pandemic and long-term infection with the Japanese encephalitis virus with the development
of post-encephalitic Parkinsonism or von Economo’s encephalitis. In the last couple of
years, there has been a worldwide pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus or severe acute respiratory
syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2, which causes a severe acute respiratory syndrome
and is found to be associated with symptoms or complications of the central nervous system. Its
possible involvement with the central nervous system is in line with emerging scientific evidence
stating that the human respiratory coronaviruses can enter the brain, infect neural cells, persist in
the brain, and cause activation of myelin-reactive T cells. Currently, there is a dearth of scientific
information on the acute or possible long-term impact of infection with SARS-CoV-2 on the development
of dementia and/or neurodegenerative diseases. This is related to the fact that the virus is
‘new,’ and its effects on humans are still being studied. This narrative review examines the extant
literature for understanding the impact of coronavirus infections on the brain as there is a possibility
that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could increase the risk for the development of neurodegenerative
diseases or hasten their progression.
