COVID Brain Infection

Appearances can be Deceiving. What we know and what we don't know.

There is no doubt that COVID can infect the brain, cause structural changes, and last for months or longer, even if the first symptoms are mild. This doesn't appear to impact everyone but appearances can be deceiving.  

We know quite a bit about the mechanisms and pathways COVID uses to impact the brain but we don't know what percentage of people are being impacted to lesser degrees. Is there a lower level of damage that people are rationalizing as being caused by other things? How will this affect people later in life? We do know that it already affects millions of people to some degree. We know that 100's of thousands are unable to work because of this disease affecting their minds. We also know that early onset dementia after COVID is occurring.

As a society, we should work to protect everyone, particularly given the massive numbers of people impacted by this brain infecting virus. The worst part is that each time COVID adds mutations, it gets better at suppressing the immune system and infecting organs.  

COVID has defeated all the available monoclonal antibody treatments and is outpacing targeted vaccines. It has strengthened its grip onto ACE-2 receptors making it more infectious. Remember we have these receptors in our eyes, ears, nose, throat, lungs and all throughout the body. It enhanced its ability to evade antibodies and attack cells of the immune system. It has also become more capable of infecting organs, including the brain. 

The consequences of ignoring this will surely impact everyone, directly or indirectly, in some way. After reviewing the mechanisms of how the brain is infected and impacted we will show some strategies, based on the science, that when used together can significantly improve your odds of avoiding infections with COVID and, if infected, help limit the odds of infecting the brain. With any luck, prevent it from seriously impacting the brain.

1. This "study demonstrates structural and functional alterations in the brain tissue of COVID-19 patients which correlate with neuropsychiatric and neurological dysfunctions."

"SARS-CoV-2 could access the CNS through the neural-mucosal interface in the olfactory mucosa"(1)

In other words, COVID can infect the brain through the deeper section of the nasal passages. (see below on how to reduce the odds of infection through the olfactory mucosa.)

2. "We show that astrocytes are the main locus of infection - and possibly replication - of SARS-CoV-2 in the brains of COVID-19 patients, as evidenced by the detection of the viral genome, the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein" (2)

Astrocytes are essential for the formation and maintenance of the BBB (Blood Brain Barrier) by providing secreted factors that lead to the adequate association between the cells of the BBB and the formation of strong tight junctions.

"The blood–brain barrier (BBB) is a tightly regulated interface in the Central Nervous System (CNS) that regulates the exchange of molecules in and out of the brain, thus maintaining the CNS homeostasis. It is mainly composed of endothelial cells (ECs), pericytes, and astrocytes that create a neurovascular unit (NVU) with the adjacent neurons.”

“Under neurological disorders, such as chronic cerebral ischemia, brain trauma, epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson’s disease, a disruption of the BBB takes place, involving a loss in the permeability of the barrier and phenotypical changes in both the Endothelial Cells and Astrocytes." (2a)

Let's review what this says. Astrocytes and endothelial cells are essential for maintaining the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB), which must remain strong to prevent brain diseases, like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. 

COVID infects astrocytes and endothelial cells, which may disrupt this cohesive framework. COVID also infects neurons. People are having brain fog, and early onset dementia after having COVID. Does anyone see the seriousness of a virus that has the capacity to infect these cells? 

3. "SARS-CoV-2 appears to travel widely across the cerebral cortex"

This virus is apparently swimming around, having a good time wreaking havoc in peoples brains. This is obviously a very bad sign. By the way, this study, like the others, has a ton of great information. We are just skimming the surface to present the cumulative science and data.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-covid-might-sow-chaos-in-the-brain/

4. "A neuroimaging study reveals significant brain changes in areas associated with language comprehension, cognition, and circadian rhythm control six months after COVID-19 infection."

Take note that this says, "six months."

If that weren't bad enough, we already know that COVID can survive in the brain and other organs for longer than 6 months. 

"The researchers also found a significant difference in the right ventral diencephalon region of the brain stem. "This region is associated with many crucial bodily functions, including coordinating with the endocrine system to release hormones, relaying sensory and motor signals to the cerebral cortex, and regulating circadian rhythms (the sleep-wake cycle)."

“This study points to serious long-term complications that may be caused by the coronavirus, even months after recovery from the infection,” Mishra said. “The present findings are from the small temporal window. However, the longitudinal time points across a couple of years will elucidate if there exists any permanent change.”

"The researchers are conducting a longitudinal study on the same patient cohort to determine whether these brain abnormalities persist over a longer time frame." (4)

5. "We were able to detect the virus in the oesophagus, large intestine, kidney, placenta, lung, and brain." (5)

This is what they tested with the less immune evasive variants. 

The risk will increase with variants like XBB.1.5 and whatever comes after it.

6. "Alzheimer's-like signaling in brains of COVID-19 patients"

"The neuropathological pathways causing tau hyperphosphorylation typically associated with Alzheimer’s Disease were also shown to be activated in COVID-19 patients. RyR2 in COVID-19 brains demonstrated a “leaky” phenotype, which can promote cognitive and behavioral defects." (6)

7. "SARS-CoV-2 infection and persistence throughout the human body and brain"

"Our data prove that SARS-CoV-2 causes systemic infection and can persist in the body for months." (7)

It should be clear that COVID is very capable of infecting and persisting in the brain. Please explore further by examining the studies. This summary just scratches the surface of the topic. Many important facts are already known. There are also a lot of questions that remain unanswered. There is much more to understand, but we do know that this virus not only infects organs and many different types of cells, it can also infect the immune system and the brain. COVID infects astrocytes & neurons negatively impacting the brain & central nervous system. The prevalence of cognitive dysfunction will likely increase as XBB.1.5 rips through the population.

The question we should ask ourselves is, "Where do we draw the line and start taking action to prevent infections of this disease in schools and our communities?"

To learn about specific things that can be done to help prevent infections in schools and our communities visit https://tactnow.info/clean-air-for-kids

Below are some strategies to avoid a COVID brain infection. 

The less viral particles that someone is exposed to, the easier it will be for the immune system to eliminate because that means less cells have to be infected and replaced leaving you with a stronger immune system, and a faster recovery.

1. N-95 masks that are worn tightly to the face and around the nose are extremely effective at limiting exposure to the airborne, aerosolized respiratory droplets.

2. See below for additional strategies and resources.

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