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Review
. 2023 Aug;123(4):1247-1256.
doi: 10.1007/s13760-023-02291-1. Epub 2023 May 25.

The functional and structural changes in the hippocampus of COVID-19 patients

Ali Nouraeinejad  1
Affiliations
Review

The functional and structural changes in the hippocampus of COVID-19 patients

Ali Nouraeinejad. Acta Neurol Belg. 2023 Aug.

Abstract

Since the hippocampus is predominantly susceptible to injuries caused by COVID-19, there are increasing data indicating the likelihood of post-infection memory loss and quickening neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease. This is due to the fact that the hippocampus has imperative functions in spatial and episodic memory as well as learning. COVID-19 activates microglia in the hippocampus and induces a CNS cytokine storm, leading to loss of hippocampal neurogenesis. The functional and structural changes in the hippocampus of COVID-19 patients can explain neuronal degeneration and reduced neurogenesis in the human hippocampus. This will open a window to explain memory and cognitive dysfunctions in "long COVID" through the resultant loss of hippocampal neurogenesis.

Keywords: COVID-19; Central nervous system; Hippocampus; Memory; Neurogenesis; Neuroinflammation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declares no conflict of interest.

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