"Summary
... Using optical clearing and imaging, we observed the accumulation of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in the skull-meninges-brain axis of human COVID-19 patients, persisting long after viral clearance. Further, biomarkers of neurodegeneration were elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid from long COVID patients, and proteomic analysis of human skull, meninges, and brain samples revealed dysregulated inflammatory pathways and neurodegeneration-associated changes. Similar distribution patterns of the spike protein were observed in SARS-CoV-2-infected mice. Injection of spike protein alone was sufficient to induce neuroinflammation, proteome changes in the skull-meninges-brain axis, anxiety-like behavior, and exacerbated outcomes in mouse models of stroke and traumatic brain injury. Vaccination reduced but did not eliminate spike protein accumulation after infection in mice. Our findings suggest persistent spike protein at the brain borders may contribute to lasting neurological sequelae of COVID-19 ...
Results
Spike protein alone triggers neuroinflammation in the brain cortex...
Circulating spike protein triggers proteomics changes in the mouse skull marrow/meninges/brain and anxiety-like behavior...
Spike protein exacerbates neurological damage...
Discussion
We found that the spike protein alone induced a broad spectrum of proteome changes in the mouse skull marrow, meninges, and brain that are similar to those observed in COVID-19 patients and that the isolated effects of the spike protein on the nervous system caused anxiety-like behavior without memory deficits ... While these findings do not support the direct induction of clinical neurological symptoms by the spike protein, they suggest the long-term consequences of spike protein-induced inflammation and dysfunctional signaling in the brain. Further investigation is needed to elucidate the impact of spike protein on the brain and its association with other neurological diseases."
Copyright 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc
https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(24)00438-4
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