AUTHOR=Pacheco-Herrero Mar , Soto-Rojas Luis O. , Harrington Charles R. , Flores-Martinez Yazmin M. , Villegas-Rojas Marcos M. , León-Aguilar Alfredo M. , Martínez-Gómez Paola A. , Campa-Córdoba B. Berenice , Apátiga-Pérez Ricardo , Corniel-Taveras Carolin N. , Dominguez-García Jesabelle de J. , Blanco-Alvarez Víctor Manuel , Luna-Muñoz José 

TITLE=Elucidating the Neuropathologic Mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 Infection

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2021.660087

DOI=10.3389/fneur.2021.660087

ISSN=1664-2295

ABSTRACT=The current pandemic caused by the new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a public health emergency. To date, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused about 99.3 million accumulated cases and 2.13 million deaths worldwide. Previous pieces of evidence suggest that SARS-CoV-2 may affect the central nervous system (CNS) and cause neurological symptoms in COVID-19 patients. It is also known that angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2), the primary receptor for SARS-CoV-2 infection, is expressed in different brain areas and cell types. Thus, it is hypothesized that infection by this virus could generate or exacerbate neuropathological alterations. However, the molecular mechanisms that link COVID-19 disease and nerve damage are unclear. In this review, we describe the routes of SARS-CoV-2 invasion into the central nervous system. We also analyze the neuropathologic mechanisms underlying this viral infection, and their potential relationship with the neurological manifestations described in patients with COVID19, and the appearance or exacerbation of some neurodegenerative diseases.