COVID-19 Virus Does Not Infect Human Brain Cells, Study Suggests (theguardian.com) 65
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: The virus that causes Covid-19 does not infect human brain cells, according to a study published in the journal Cell. The findings will raise hopes that the damage caused by Sars-CoV-2 might be more superficial and reversible than previously feared. The study contradicts earlier research that suggested the virus infects neurons in the membrane that lines the upper recesses of the nose. This membrane, called the olfactory mucosa, is where the virus first lands when it is inhaled. Within it are olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs), which are responsible for initiating smell sensations. They are tightly entwined with a kind of support cell called sustentacular cells.
In the new study, Belgian and German researchers claim that the virus infects sustentacular cells but not OSNs. "That is just a critical distinction," said the senior author Peter Mombaerts, who directs the Max Planck Research Unit for Neurogenetics in Frankfurt, Germany. "Once you believe that olfactory neurons can be infected, there is a quick route into the olfactory bulb and then you're in the brain already." The olfactory bulb, at the front of the brain, is where neural input about odors is first processed. If the virus penetrated this structure it could theoretically spread to deeper brain regions where it could do lasting damage -- especially since, unlike OSNs, most neurons are not regenerated once lost. But if the virus only infects the sustentacular cells, then the damage could be less long-lasting. Both pathways could explain the olfactory dysfunction that afflicts an estimated half of all Covid-19 patients. In one in 10 of those, the loss or change of smell is long-term, perhaps permanent. Mombaerts says this could be the result of support for the OSNs breaking down, even if they themselves are not infected. They may function below par, or stop functioning altogether, until the sustentacular cells regenerate.
In the new study, Belgian and German researchers claim that the virus infects sustentacular cells but not OSNs. "That is just a critical distinction," said the senior author Peter Mombaerts, who directs the Max Planck Research Unit for Neurogenetics in Frankfurt, Germany. "Once you believe that olfactory neurons can be infected, there is a quick route into the olfactory bulb and then you're in the brain already." The olfactory bulb, at the front of the brain, is where neural input about odors is first processed. If the virus penetrated this structure it could theoretically spread to deeper brain regions where it could do lasting damage -- especially since, unlike OSNs, most neurons are not regenerated once lost. But if the virus only infects the sustentacular cells, then the damage could be less long-lasting. Both pathways could explain the olfactory dysfunction that afflicts an estimated half of all Covid-19 patients. In one in 10 of those, the loss or change of smell is long-term, perhaps permanent. Mombaerts says this could be the result of support for the OSNs breaking down, even if they themselves are not infected. They may function below par, or stop functioning altogether, until the sustentacular cells regenerate.
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> The DNC is playing a fool's errand blaming unvaccinations on Republicans.
> FJB and his agenda '21 death jab mandate!
So are you saying Democrats are falsely blaming unvaccinations on Republicans, but are you also calling it a death jab?
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You are truly a deluded stupid ass motherfucker if you think ANYONE from this site would EVER go to "welovetrump.com" for anything even close to the TRUTH (yeah, right!).
Fuck off and die, troll. The virus is killing people, not the vaccine, you stupid shit stain troll fucktard.
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Couldn't you find a Twitter feed to say it? You know, to increase the credibility of the source?
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"The vaccine is orders of magnitude safer...."
You're only looking at first order deaths.
You're talking about an emergency use treatment that's less than a year old and has not completely a full round of clinical tests.
There are no studies on the long term effects, or what an ongoing regimen (booster shots) will do to a person.
So you're...what's the term? Oh yes! TALKING OUT YOUR ASS.
Re:Too bad (Score:4, Informative)
Alternatively here's a research paper which comes to the opposite conclusion you made.
(I'm not sure I trust your method of looking at a map)
https://www.kff.org/coronaviru... [kff.org]
with a summary article here https://www.brookings.edu/blog... [brookings.edu]
Though I am assuming you're talking about America (which might not be the case)
Re: Too bad (Score:2)
I demand to see that map and the source of its numbers.
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Their claim is fucking laughable [usnews.com].
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It is laughable, but FWIW my crazy hippie brother, is anti-vax (all vaccines, not just this one) and he's left of left. He also believes in magic crystals and that sort of stuff.
FWIW check Byron bay where most NSW Hippies moved area vaccination rate currently one of the lowest https://www.theguardian.com/au... [theguardian.com]
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This is true. Anti-vax is traditionally a left wing conspiracy theory thing, as it often intertwines with memes about evil drug companies lying to you for profit.
The takeaway for everyone should be the ease with which people of any stripe can be brought on board for the benefits of politicians.
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You can't fix stupid. Political lean aside, some people are just immune to logic and reason.
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I demand to see that map and the source of its numbers.
vaccination map
https://www.theguardian.com/au... [theguardian.com]
political results map
https://www.aec.gov.au/Electio... [aec.gov.au]
This has been the trend continously To the rest of Australia NSW is the only right leaning state at this time the other states are worse as far as vaccination rates go additionally Melbourne is the most locked down city in the world by number of days in lockdown yes they are left-wing
in Aus Labour - Left wing, Liberal = right wing, Greens = extreme left, Pauline Hanson = extreme right
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However, that being said, you are objectively full of shit. You're gaslighting.
Fuck off, Ivan. [usnews.com]
Vaccinations trend blue [Re:Too bad] (Score:3)
Funny thing is statistically Left wingers are the anti-vaxers recently I did some research (not hard if your government has a vaccination site that is updated every couple days) and the maps had the least vaccinated areas as left wing, the more left wing the lower the vaccination rate. vaccination rates were highest in middle class right wing.
Nope.
Highest vaccination rates are in solidly blue states; lowest vaccination rates in solidly red states. Here's a link [91-divoc.com]
Top five states by vaccination per capita are Vermont, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Maine: all solidly blue.
Bottom five are Idaho, Wyoming, Alabama, Mississippi, and West Virginia all solidly red.
If you want detailed information: https://usafacts.org/visualiza... [usafacts.org] , or county-level data here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronaviru... [cdc.gov] (scroll down to get to the county-level map)
Re: Too bad (Score:2)
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If you're doing Zoom calls from a coffee shop, then yes you probably should keep the mask on.
Also, please learn at least the basics of how [...]
Most people stopped learning after they left school. If it's not on the test then they aren't going to attempt to learn it. And even then, a lot of people slide through public school with the barest of education. Face it, most people aren't terribly interested in intellectualism. And they sure as hell don't want some nerd telling them how they've fucked everything up.
Spermy. (Score:2)
Whew! Now lets worry about the cells on the other end.
Re:Spermy. (Score:5, Informative)
As usual, the headline doesn't accurately reflect the work. The study showed that yes, both respiratory and olfactory mucosa are infected, and not the nerve cells in the olfactory mucosa, but their supporting supporting sustentacular cells. But they also found the virus abundant in the cranial cavity. It however was not infecting the parenchyma (functional tissue), but the leptomeninges (the tissue that surrounds the brain). Normally the tissue surrounding the brain, when infected, gets inflamed and causes meningitis, but meningitis is relatively uncommon with COVID. They also noticed a lack of negative-sense mRNA in the leptomeninges (note: there were only 11 subjects, 37% of the cohort). They interpret this as the virus not actively replicacting, and think that they may have been looking at whole virions. The question then still becomes, what the heck are they doing in the cranial cavity? The authors have three theories. One, that they traveled up there alongside (but not within) the olfactory nerve; two, that they leaked out of the blood vessels in the meninges en masse; and three, that they're free mRNA. In each case, the authors are concerned about triggering immune or autoimmune reactions within the brain (something a number of studies have shown), and suggest that this may as well - not just attack on sustentacular cells in the olfactory mucosa - impact or be responsible for the anosmia (one of the challenges they had to explain was why other viruses that infect sustentacular cells don't cause anosmia).
Their overall conclusion, however, was that they found absence of evidence for (but not evidence for absence of) direct neuroinvasion, but rather, side impacts which can affect the nervous system.
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Also, this is an unreviewed pre-print. And only 40 subjects.
Not the news I expected ... (Score:4, Informative)
What about my testicles?
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I do not feel a difference yet, is that a long term reaction?
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You mean the reaction on the vaccine?
Yes, was for me the same, about 6 hours the first time, about 12h the second one.
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You mean the reaction on the vaccine?
No, her testicles swelling up from the vaccine.
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You make no real sense ...
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They Need To Make The Nanobots Smaller (Score:2)
Then the plan will be complete. Watch out for booster #5.
High fever and choking to death do affect brains (Score:4, Insightful)
While the virus may not directly affect neural tissue, collapsing unattended at home without help or asphyxiating from Covid related lung damage can indeed cause brain damage. Indirect complications from illness should not be ignored.
Re:High fever and choking to death do affect brain (Score:5, Informative)
The authors themselves [slashdot.org] found the virus abundant in the cranial cavity (so strange that everyone leaves this out of the summaries!), in the meninges, and had concerns that the immune targeting of it there would impact harm parenchyma (functional nervous tissue)
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thank god (Score:1)
Yummm Brains (Score:1)
Good news, but still produces neurological damage (Score:3)
This is excellent news for people who are worried about the longterm effects of minor COVID cases they have experienced, and for people who are unlikely to suffer a severe case (i.e. kids).
For others, it is not an indication that there is no neurological risk from contracting COVID, as general inflammation, lack of oxygen (from lungs and heart being attacked), and strokes all can still cause permanent damage, and it's a clinical fact that brain damage has been observed.
Re:Good news, but still produces neurological dama (Score:4, Interesting)
This is not what the paper said [slashdot.org]. This is a bad summary.
Not sure about this (Score:3)
There was this: neuronal expression of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein can induce fusion between interconnected neurons and between neurons and glial cells. [news-medical.net]
So what's a guy to believe? I await further research.
Re:Not sure about this (Score:5, Insightful)
Just because a pathogen does not 'infect' a certain type of cell, it doesn't mean that the presence of such a pathogen in your system together with an immune response also can't possibly 'affect' that same type of cell, that it doesn't 'infect'. After all the entire human body is a very complex system of interacting parts. Neurons do not exist in isolation of the rest of the body.
Scientific terminology can be extremely pedantic, and it does that for a good reason of eliminating ambiguity as far as possible. Without understanding and applying the narrow definitions of scientific terminology, it's not rare that conflicts with colloquial use of those same words arise, which then easily leads to unwilling conflation and also willful equivocation.
In other words, the devil's in the details, and one of the things that distinguishes the illiterate from the literate is that the latter is willing to bother to look into the details, while the former tends to be satisfied with an equivocation.
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Fusing neurons together (from inside...) is not "affecting", that is "infecting".
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I'd urge you to read both sources again, carefully.
What you post suggests that the spike protein from the virus can induce fusing interconnected neurons and glial cells.
Now the question is how does the spike protein get there?
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Sad that your post got modded up, but I guess that just speaks to the education level of the current slashdotter.
So you're saying (Score:2)
The people whining about being injected with microchips for tracking via 5G or think that goat past created to fight parasites will somehow have an effect on a virus haven't been infected? That their comprehension of reality isn't being affected by covid? That they're just naturally delusional?
Whew! That's good to know.
Well, technically... (Score:2)
Covid maybe doesn't affect the brain, but the reaction to the disease showcases how damaged some brains already are.
SO eating brains can help? (Score:2)
Test somebody other than Biden (Score:1)