SARS-CoV-2 drives NLRP3 inflammasome activation in human microglia through spike protein
- Journal:
- Molecular Psychiatry
- Published:
- DOI:
- 10.1038/s41380-022-01831-0
- Affiliations:
- 8
- Authors:
- 33
Research Highlight
How COVID-19 sets the brain’s immune cells on fire
© JUAN GAERTNER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images
The virus that causes COVID-19 sets off the same immune response in the brain as Parkinson’s disease.
While mainly affecting the lungs, COVID-19 also causes neurological symptoms such as headaches, dizziness and ‘brain fog’ in many people. Some cases of Parkinson diseases are even thought to be linked to COVID-19 infection. But the mechanism by which the virus causes these brain-related effects was unknown.
Now, a team led by researchers from the University of Queensland in Australia has found that the virus’ spike protein can activate immune cells known as microglia in the brain.
Critically, this is the same inflammatory response in the brain as that for Parkinson’s disease. It could thus explain why people who have had COVID-19 are more vulnerable to developing Parkinson-like symptoms.
This finding also suggests that such symptoms could be treated using drugs that inhibit the inflammation response.
References
- Molecular Psychiatry (2022). doi: 10.1038/s41380-022-01831-0
| Institutions | Authors | Share |
|---|---|---|
| The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia | 0.87 | |
| Austral University of Chile (UACh), Chile | 0.08 | |
| Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre (AID), Australia | 0.04 | |
| Latin University of Costa Rica, Costa Rica | 0.02 |