Effects of COVID-19 on Synaptic and Neuronal Degeneration

doi:10.3390/brainsci13010131

Review

. 2023 Jan 12;13(1):131.

doi: 10.3390/brainsci13010131.

Effects of COVID-19 on Synaptic and Neuronal Degeneration

Mohammed S Alqahtani^{1

2}, Mohamed Abbas^{3

4}, Mohammad Y Alshahrani⁵, Khulud Alabdullh⁶, Amjad Alqarni¹, Fawaz F Alqahtani⁷, Layal K Jambi⁸, Adnan Alkhayat⁹

Affiliations

¹ Radiological Sciences Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia.
² BioImaging Unit, Space Research Centre, University of Leicester, Michael Atiyah Building, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
³ Electrical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Electronics and Communications Department, College of Engineering, Delta University for Science and Technology, Gamasa 35712, Egypt.
⁵ Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Radiology Department, King Abdullah Hospital Bisha, Bisha 61922, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ Department of Radiological Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Najran University, Najran 55461, Saudi Arabia.
⁸ Radiological Sciences Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 10219, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia.
⁹ Department of Hematopathology, King Fahad Central Hospital, Gizan 82666, Saudi Arabia.

PMID: 36672112
PMCID: PMC9856402
DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13010131

Review

Effects of COVID-19 on Synaptic and Neuronal Degeneration

Mohammed S Alqahtani et al. Brain Sci. 2023.

. 2023 Jan 12;13(1):131.

doi: 10.3390/brainsci13010131.

Authors

Mohammed S Alqahtani^{1

2}, Mohamed Abbas^{3

4}, Mohammad Y Alshahrani⁵, Khulud Alabdullh⁶, Amjad Alqarni¹, Fawaz F Alqahtani⁷, Layal K Jambi⁸, Adnan Alkhayat⁹

Affiliations

¹ Radiological Sciences Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia.
² BioImaging Unit, Space Research Centre, University of Leicester, Michael Atiyah Building, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
³ Electrical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Electronics and Communications Department, College of Engineering, Delta University for Science and Technology, Gamasa 35712, Egypt.
⁵ Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Radiology Department, King Abdullah Hospital Bisha, Bisha 61922, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ Department of Radiological Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Najran University, Najran 55461, Saudi Arabia.
⁸ Radiological Sciences Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 10219, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia.
⁹ Department of Hematopathology, King Fahad Central Hospital, Gizan 82666, Saudi Arabia.

PMID: 36672112
PMCID: PMC9856402
DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13010131

Abstract

Neurons are the basic building blocks of the human body's neurological system. Atrophy is defined by the disintegration of the connections between cells that enable them to communicate. Peripheral neuropathy and demyelinating disorders, as well as cerebrovascular illnesses and central nervous system (CNS) inflammatory diseases, have all been linked to brain damage, including Parkinson's disease (PD). It turns out that these diseases have a direct impact on brain atrophy. However, it may take some time after the onset of one of these diseases for this atrophy to be clearly diagnosed. With the emergence of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there were several clinical observations of COVID-19 patients. Among those observations is that the virus can cause any of the diseases that can lead to brain atrophy. Here we shed light on the research that tracked the relationship of these diseases to the COVID-19 virus. The importance of this review is that it is the first to link the relationship between the Coronavirus and diseases that cause brain atrophy. It also indicates the indirect role of the virus in dystrophy.

Keywords: CNS inflammatory diseases; COVID-19; Parkinson’s disease; brain atrophy; cerebrovascular diseases; demyelinating disorders; peripheral neuropathy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper.

Figures

**Figure 1**
A schematic diagram of COVID-19 effects brain shrinkage.

**Figure 2**
Common diseases that cause brain atrophy.

**Figure 3**
Neurological symptoms of COVID-19.

**Figure 4**
Neurologic major complications of COVID-19.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

Cited by

Challenges in the Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the Nervous System.
Da Silva SJ, Cabral-Castro MJ, Gonçalves CCA, Mariani D, Ferreira O, Tanuri A, Puccioni-Sohler M. Da Silva SJ, et al. Viruses. 2024 Aug 3;16(8):1247. doi: 10.3390/v16081247. Viruses. 2024. PMID: 39205221 Free PMC article.

References

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1. Gandhi S., Srivastava A.K., Ray U., Tripathi P.P. Is the Collapse of the Respiratory Center in the Brain Responsible for Respiratory Breakdown in COVID-19 Patients? ACS Chem. Neurosci. 2020;11:1379–1381. doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00217. - DOI - PubMed

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[1] Verma K., Amitabh Prasad D.N., Kumar B., Kohli E. Brain and COVID-19 Crosstalk: Pathophysiological and Psychological Manifestations. ACS Chem. Neurosci. 2020;11:3194–3203. doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00446. - DOI - PubMed

[2] Verma K., Amitabh Prasad D.N., Kumar B., Kohli E. Brain and COVID-19 Crosstalk: Pathophysiological and Psychological Manifestations. ACS Chem. Neurosci. 2020;11:3194–3203. doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00446. - DOI - PubMed

[3] Li Z., Liu T., Yang N., Han D., Mi X., Li Y., Liu K., Vuylsteke A., Xiang H., Guo X. Neurological manifestations of patients with COVID-19: Potential routes of SARS-CoV-2 neuroinvasion from the periphery to the brain. Front. Med. 2020;14:533–541. doi: 10.1007/s11684-020-0786-5. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[4] Li Z., Liu T., Yang N., Han D., Mi X., Li Y., Liu K., Vuylsteke A., Xiang H., Guo X. Neurological manifestations of patients with COVID-19: Potential routes of SARS-CoV-2 neuroinvasion from the periphery to the brain. Front. Med. 2020;14:533–541. doi: 10.1007/s11684-020-0786-5. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[5] Dixon L., Varley J.A., Gontsarova A., Mallon D., Tona F., Muir D.A., Luqmani A., Jenkins I.H., Nicholas R.S., Jones B., et al. COVID-19-related acute necrotizing encephalopathy with brain stem involvement in a patient with aplastic anemia. Neurol. Neuroimmunol. Neuroinflammation. 2020;7:e789. doi: 10.1212/NXI.0000000000000789. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[6] Dixon L., Varley J.A., Gontsarova A., Mallon D., Tona F., Muir D.A., Luqmani A., Jenkins I.H., Nicholas R.S., Jones B., et al. COVID-19-related acute necrotizing encephalopathy with brain stem involvement in a patient with aplastic anemia. Neurol. Neuroimmunol. Neuroinflammation. 2020;7:e789. doi: 10.1212/NXI.0000000000000789. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[7] Coolen T., Lolli V., Sadeghi N., Rovai A., Trotta N., Taccone F.S., Creteur J., Henrard S., Goffard J., Dewitte O., et al. Early postmortem brain MRI findings in COVID-19 non-survivors. Neurology. 2020;95:e2016-27. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000010116. - DOI - PubMed

[8] Coolen T., Lolli V., Sadeghi N., Rovai A., Trotta N., Taccone F.S., Creteur J., Henrard S., Goffard J., Dewitte O., et al. Early postmortem brain MRI findings in COVID-19 non-survivors. Neurology. 2020;95:e2016-27. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000010116. - DOI - PubMed

[9] Gandhi S., Srivastava A.K., Ray U., Tripathi P.P. Is the Collapse of the Respiratory Center in the Brain Responsible for Respiratory Breakdown in COVID-19 Patients? ACS Chem. Neurosci. 2020;11:1379–1381. doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00217. - DOI - PubMed

[10] Gandhi S., Srivastava A.K., Ray U., Tripathi P.P. Is the Collapse of the Respiratory Center in the Brain Responsible for Respiratory Breakdown in COVID-19 Patients? ACS Chem. Neurosci. 2020;11:1379–1381. doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00217. - DOI - PubMed

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Effects of COVID-19 on Synaptic and Neuronal Degeneration

Affiliations

Effects of COVID-19 on Synaptic and Neuronal Degeneration

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

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References

Publication types

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources