Neurological Complications of Corona Virus: A Mini-Review

Abstract

Following the outbreak of COVID-19 disease, which is caused by the coronavirus, there were reports of neurological complications, indicating that virus infection may have risks involving the nervous system. Stroke, encephalopathy, moderate to severe headaches, anosmia and dysgeusia, hallucination, and depression were the most neurological complications reported. The most important neurological complication of COVID-19 is anosmia, which is caused by the infection of the olfactory support cells. Hallucination and depression have been observed in those admitted to the intensive care unit, which is primarily related to general inflammatory reactions. Although brain autopsies of people who have died because of COVID-19 have shown that the virus can be detected in brain tissue. Studies indicate that viral infection has only been detected in the vascular part of the blood-brain-barrier. Perhaps the most critical finding of coronavirus infection in the brain is the activation of astrocytes and microglia in patients with COVID-19, which dilates the cerebral arteries in the brainstem, allows killer T cells to enter brain tissue, and causes cytotoxic effects in this part of the brain. This review focused on the neurological complications associated with COVID-19 and the possible mechanisms underlying these complications.