EFFECTS OF CORONA VIRUS ON BRAIN

EFFECTS OF CORONA VIRUS ON BRAIN

Subject: Science & tech

Context: SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, likely does not directly infect the brain but can still inflict significant neurological damage, a new study suggests.

Concept:

When it comes to the brain and nerves, the virus appears to have four main sets of effects:

• A confused state (known as delirium or encephalopathy), sometimes with psychosis and memory disturbance.
• Inflammation of the brain (known as encephalitis). This includes a form showing inflammatory lesions – acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) – together with the effects of low oxygen in the brain.
• Blood clots, leading to stroke (including in younger patients).
• Potential damage to the nerves in the body, causing pain and numbness (for example in the form of post-infectious Guillain-Barré syndrome, in which your body’s immune system attacks your nerves).