What can we learn from brain autopsies in COVID-19?

• Published in: Neuroscience letters 2021-01, Vol.742, p.135528-135528, Article 135528
• Main Authors: Mukerji, Shibani S., Solomon, Isaac H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Autopsy; Brain - pathology; Brain - virology; Brain autopsies; COVID-19; COVID-19 - pathology; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Neuropathogenesis; Neuropathology; Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction - methods; SARS-CoV-2; SARS-CoV-2 - isolation & purification
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2020.135528

•Chronic neurological disease and acute abnormalities are present in COVID-19 brain autopsies.•Acute hypoxic-injury, hemorrhage, and minimal inflammation are frequently observed.•Low levels of viral SARS-CoV-2 RNA are present; cellular source remains unknown. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) for which there have been over 50 million confirmed cases and 1.2 million deaths globally. While many SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals are asymptomatic or experience respiratory symptoms, extrapulmonary manifestations, including neurological symptoms and conditions, are increasingly recognized. There remains no clear understanding of the mechanisms that underlie neurological symptoms in COVID-19 and whether SARS-CoV-2 has the potential for neuroinvasion in humans. In this minireview, we discuss what is known from human autopsies in fatal COVID-19, including highlighting studies that investigate for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in brain and olfactory tissue, and summarize the neuropathological consequences of infection. Incorporating microscopic and molecular findings from brain tissue into what we know about clinical disease will inform best practice management guidance and direct research priorities as it relates to neurological morbidity from COVID-19.