A recent study elucidated the mechanisms by which the SARS-CoV-2 virus infects the brain

A study conducted by researchers from Northwestern University and the University of Illinois-Chicago and published in the journal Nature Microbiology revealed that a mutation present in the spike protein of the Sars-CoV-2, the external part of the virus that enables it to penetrate cells, plays a pivotal role in its ability to infect the central nervous system, resulting in the onset of typical neurological symptoms associated with Long Covid. To facilitate the transfer of the virus from the lungs to the brain, alterations to the spike protein were essential, as elucidated by Judd Hultquist, the co-correspondent author and Assistant Professor of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology-immunology at the Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University. These modifications determine how the virus gains access to diverse cell types. Nevertheless, the neurological symptoms of Covid-19, including “brain fog” or loss of taste and smell, remain partially enigmatic. The etiology of these symptoms is unclear, as it is uncertain whether the damage is caused directly by the virus to brain cells or is a consequence of the immune reaction triggered.