Early research suggests that SARS-CoV-2 can enter the brain easily through a person's nose, infiltrating brain cells where it lurks unchecked, possibly leading to lasting neurological symptoms, such as trouble with thinking and memory.
Two new studies — from the California National Primate Research Center and the Rotman Research Institute in Toronto — suggest that the virus directly infects neurons in the brain, potentially offering clues as to why some people suffer from a range of symptoms long after their initial COVID infection.
Neither of the studies, presented Wednesday during a meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, has been peer-reviewed, and neither is expected to answer all questions surrounding long COVID.
But they come as researchers worldwide are urgently trying to learn more about the mysterious and debilitating illness that is estimated to affect at least one-third of the more than 46 million people who have been infected in the U.S., as well as millions more globally.
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