ArticleMolecular pharmacology2020
Does COVID19 Infect the Brain? If So, Smokers Might Be at a Higher Risk.
Article in Molecular pharmacology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 66 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
66 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 138 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review of neurological symptoms and complications of COVID-19.Journal of neurology · 2021Pooled it
- A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Hospitalised Current Smokers and COVID-19.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Pooled it
- Post-COVID-19 condition: clinical phenotypes, pathophysiological mechanisms, pathology, and management strategies.The Journal of pathology · 2025Review
- Evaluating contributions of neuropsychological, psychiatric, and inflammatory processes to the expression of cognitive symptoms in post-acute COVID-19 syndrome.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Potential Mechanisms Underlying COVID-19-Mediated Central and Peripheral Demyelination: Roles of the RAAS and ADAM-17.Molecular neurobiology · 2025Review
- Brain Fog: a Narrative Review of the Most Common Mysterious Cognitive Disorder in COVID-19.Molecular neurobiology · 2024Review
- Inflammation-related pathology in the olfactory epithelium: its impact on the olfactory system in psychotic disorders.Molecular psychiatry · 2024Article
- Is COVID-19 Infection a Multiorganic Disease? Focus on Extrapulmonary Involvement of SARS-CoV-2.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Antibody response, associated symptoms and profile of patients presumably infected by SARS-CoV-2 with taste or smell disorders in the SAPRIS multicohort study.BMC infectious diseases · 2023Article
- SARS-CoV-2 and Hypertension: Evidence Supporting Invasion into the Brain Via Baroreflex Circuitry and the Role of Imbalanced Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone-System.Neuroscience insights · 2023Article
- Role of endothelial cells and angiotensin converting enzyme-II in COVID-19 and brain damages post-infection.Frontiers in neurology · 2023Article
- Direct, indirect, post-infection damages induced by coronavirus in the human body: an overview.Virusdisease · 2022Review
- Nervous system manifestations related to COVID-19 and their possible mechanisms.Brain research bulletin · 2022Review
- SARS-CoV-2 Brain Regional Detection, Histopathology, Gene Expression, and Immunomodulatory Changes in Decedents with COVID-19.Journal of neuropathology and experimental neurology · 2022Article
- The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Dermatological Conditions: A Novel, Comprehensive Review.Dermatopathology (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Headache and cognitive disturbance correlate with ganglion cell layer thickness in patients who recovered from COVID-19.Clinical neurology and neurosurgery · 2022Article
- The Impact of Cardiovascular Risk Factors on the Course of COVID-19.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Review
- Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Its Neuroinvasive Capacity: Is It Time for Melatonin?Cellular and molecular neurobiology · 2022Review
- Repeated ethanol exposure and withdrawal alters ACE2 expression in discrete brain regions: Implications for SARS-CoV-2 infection.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2022Article
- Altered gene expression in human brain microvascular endothelial cells in response to the infection of influenza H1N1 virus.Animal diseases · 2022Article
6 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
COVID19 is a devastating global pandemic with epicenters in China, Italy, Spain, and now the United States. While the majority of infected cases appear mild, in some cases, individuals present serious cardiorespiratory complications with possible long-term lung damage. Infected individuals report a range of symptoms from headaches to shortness of breath to taste and smell loss. To that end, less is known about how the virus may impact different organ systems. The SARS-CoV2 virus, which is responsible for COVID19, is highly similar to SARS-CoV. Both viruses have evolved an ability to enter host cells through direct interaction with the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) 2 protein at the surface of many cells. Published findings indicate that SARS-CoV can enter the human nervous system with evidence from both postmortem brains and detection in cerebrospinal fluid of infected individuals. Here, we consider the ability of SARS-CoV2 to enter and infect the human nervous system based on the strong expression of the ACE2 target throughout the brain. Moreover, we predict that nicotine exposure through various kinds of smoking (cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, or vape) can increase the risk for COVID19 neuroinfection based on known functional interactions between the nicotinic receptor and ACE2. We advocate for higher surveillance and analysis of neurocomplications in infected cases. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The COVID19 epidemic has spurred a global public health crisis. While many of the cases requiring hospitalization and intensive medical care center on cardiorespiratory treatment, a growing number of cases present neurological symptoms. Viral entry into the brain now appears a strong possibility with deleterious consequences and an urgent need for addressing.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.