COVID-19 Neurology
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Investigating SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in an Amsterdam Multiple Sclerosis Cohort
Written by: Sean Brady Edited by: Esther Melamed Introduction The presence and quantity of pathogen-specific antibodies (such as SARS-CoV-2) can be an indicator of prior exposure to disease as well as an indicator of how well someone may be able to respond to that pathogen if they encounter it again. In a recent research letter in…
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Neurological Tip of the Iceberg
Written by: Zohair Ahmed Edited by: Esther Melamed Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic one year ago, COVID-19 research has become arguably one of the hottest topics in the history of research. One of the key emerging research areas at this time is the effect of the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, on individuals with “Post-Acute Sequelae of…
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Neurological and Psychiatric Sequelae at 6-Months Post-COVID-19
Written by: Sam Bazzi Edited by: Esther Melamed Neurological and psychiatric symptoms have been established as a common symptom and sequelae of COVID-19, but our understanding of how long neurological and psychiatric problems persist after infection is limited. A recent report from Taquet et al., published in The Lancet, describes a retrospective cohort study that analyzed…
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Understanding Post-Covid 19 Neurological Manifestations in Non-hospitalized Patients
Written by: Sean Brady Edited by: Esther Melamed Who is commonly impacted and what are the common symptoms? It has been reported that between 36.4 – 82.3% of hospitalized Covid-19 patients present with neurological manifestations [1] (e.g., headache, brain fog, loss of smell, etc.). As the pandemic continues into 2021, It is becoming increasingly clear that…
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Blood oxygen level-dependent activation of the orbitofrontal cortex in COVID-19
Written by: Parker Davis Edited by: Esther Melamed Anosmia and ageusia – a loss of the sense of smell and taste, respectively – are well-documented symptoms of infection by SARS-CoV-2, the agent of COVID-19 (Vaira et al., 2020; Mak et al., 2020; Tanasa et al., 2020). Though the origins of these symptoms were initially somewhat mysterious,…
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Acute brain dysfunction in COVID-19 intensive care patients can be mitigated with care and contact
Written by: Blaine Caslin Edited by: Esther Melamed While the vaccine rollout is bringing a glimmer of hope for the pandemic, many people are still getting hospitalized for COVID-19 and needing to be treated in the intensive care unit (ICU). Doctors and scientists are continuing to develop new clinical guidelines and models of care to…
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A New Year of COVID
Written by: Sam Bazzi Edited by: Esther Melamed At any other time, celebrating the advent of January 1st is a ritual that allows us to reflect on the past 12 months, find hope for the upcoming year, and make resolutions to improve our lives. Unfortunately, SARS-CoV-2 did not get the memo about the new year…
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SARS-CoV-2 Enters the CNS via Olfactory Mucosa
Before the Thanksgiving holiday, I wrote a blog post about a study that described enhanced SARS-CoV-2 entry into cells that express the neuropilin-1 receptor (NRP1). The main takeaway from that piece was that while NRP1 is not sufficient for viral entry, it greatly enhances viral entry when coexpressed with ACE2 and TMPRSS2, the two proteins…
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Beyond ACE2 and TMPRSS2: Neuropilin-1 Receptors Enhance Cellular Entry of SARS-CoV-2
Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) have been established as the sites of entry for the SARS-CoV-2 virus into cells, but a new study published in Science demonstrates that another cell surface receptor, neuropilin-1 (NRP1), enhances the infectivity of the virus in vitro and in mice (Cantuti-Castelvetri et al., 2020). Of…