Central nervous system as a target for SARS-CoV-2: A review article

Abstract

Although neurological symptoms are not frequent in coronavirus infection, the high number of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection may explain the presence of the virus in the central nervous system and increase the likelihood of early- or delayed-onset neurological symptoms.  It is highly possible that some of these patients, particularly those who have a severe illness, have central nervous system involvement and neurological manifestations. The mechanism of injury is not fully understood but SARS-CoV-2 via direct infection, immune dysfunction, and hypoxemic injury as well as angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptors can result in infectious toxic encephalopathy, viral encephalitis and acute cerebrovascular accident. Personalized and targeted documentation of neurological symptoms, detailed clinical, neurological, and electrophysiological assessment of the patients, attempts to isolate SARS-CoV-2 from cerebrospinal fluid, and autopsies of the COVID-19 victims may clarify the role played by this virus in causing neurological manifestations. In order to ensure optimum neurological patient management, ongoing study of treatment algorithms will be essential for updating and adapting these approaches as the COVID-19 pandemic evolves. In this review we discussed about the different neurologic manifestations of COVID-19 patients.

Keywords

COVID-19; Coronavirus; Central nervous system; Neurological manifestation