The University of Queensland researchers found that viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 can cause brain cells to fuse, leading to chronic neurological symptoms. Professor Massimo Hilliard and Dr Ramon Martinez-Marmol from the Queensland Brain Institute studied how viruses affect the nervous system. They detected SARS-CoV-2 in the brains of individuals with long COVID, months after their initial infection. The researchers also found that COVID-19 causes neurons to undergo cell fusion, which is an exciting new discovery.
Professor Massimo Hilliard said,
“After neuronal infection with SARS-CoV-2, the spike S protein becomes present in neurons, and once neurons fuse, they don’t die. They either start firing synchronously, or they stop functioning altogether.”
As an analogy, Professor Hilliard likened the role of neurons to that of wires connecting switches to the lights in a kitchen and a bathroom. “Once fusion takes place, each switch either turns on both the kitchen and bathroom lights at the same time, or neither of them.”
This discovery could help explain why some people experience ongoing neurological effects after a viral infection.
Previously, scientists believed that when a virus enters the brain, it either causes cells to die or leads to inflammation. However, their research has revealed a third possibility: neuronal fusion.
According to Dr. Martinez-Marmol, many viruses cause cell fusion in other parts of the body and could be having the same effect on the nervous system. Some examples of these viruses include HIV, rabies, Japanese encephalitis, measles, herpes simplex virus, and Zika virus.
“This is potentially a major cause of neurological diseases and clinical symptoms that is still unexplored.”
The research was published in Sciences Advances.
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In-Article Image Credits
Image of fused neurons (yellow) expressing Spike S fusogen from the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the human receptor hACE2 via University of Queensland by Professor Massimo Hilliard and Dr Ramon Martinez-Marmol with usage type - News Release MediaFeatured Image Credit
Image of fused neurons (yellow) expressing Spike S fusogen from the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the human receptor hACE2 via University of Queensland by Professor Massimo Hilliard and Dr Ramon Martinez-Marmol with usage type - News Release Media
