COVID-19 and neurodegenerative diseases

Y.-W. Fu, H.-S. Xu, S.-J. Liu

Collaborative Innovation Centre of Regenerative Medicine and Medical BioResource Development and Application Co-Constructed by the Province and Ministry, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine & Key Laboratory of Longevity and Aging-related Diseases of Chinese Ministry of Education, Guangxi Medical University, Shuangyong Road, Nanning, P.R. China. heming_liu@163.com

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• Infectious Diseases

OBJECTIVE: The pandemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues, and SARS-CoV-2 variants continue to emerge. In addition to typical fever and respiratory symptoms, many patients with COVID-19 experience a variety of neurological complications. In this review, we analyzed and reviewed the current status and possible mechanisms between COVID-19 and several typical neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, hoping to propose the potential direction of further research and concern.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Electronic literature search of the databases (Medline/PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar). The keywords used were COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, neurodegenerative disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The retrieved relevant articles were reviewed and critically analyzed.

RESULTS: SARS-CoV-2 is a highly neuroinvasive neurotropic virus that invades cells through angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor-driven pathway. SARS-CoV-2 neuroinvasion, neuroinflammation, and blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction may contribute to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases.

CONCLUSIONS: Some patients with neurodegenerative diseases have already shown more susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection and significantly higher mortality due to the elderly population with underlying diseases. Moreover, SARS-CoV-2 could cause damage to the central nervous system (CNS) that may substantially increase the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases and accelerate the progression of them.

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