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Long COVID: SARS-CoV-2 persists in the brainstem in the long term and deregulates neuronal activity
Symptoms can persist in some SARS-CoV-2 patients several months after infection. Scientists at the Institut Pasteur have demonstrated in an animal model that SARS-CoV-2 infects the brain and persists in the brainstem for up to 80 days after the acute infection phase. The presence of the virus is linked to symptoms of depression, impaired memory, and anxiety. Genes associated with neuronal metabolism and activity are deregulated in the brains of these animals, echoing similar processes observed in neurodegenerative diseases. This study is published in Nature Communications.