ArticlePain2020
ACE2 and SCARF expression in human dorsal root ganglion nociceptors: implications for SARS-CoV-2 virus neurological effects.
Article in Pain, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 67 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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
67 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 114 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of neuropathic pain associated with coronavirus disease 2019.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2023Pooled it
- On the whereabouts of SARS-CoV-2 in the human body: A systematic review.PLoS pathogens · 2020Pooled it
- Exploring the role of infectious pathogens in Alzheimer's disease neuroinflammation.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Review
- Ocular and Neurological Sequelae in Long COVID: Dry Eye, Asthenopia, Sleep Disorders, Asthenia, and Restless Legs Syndrome-A Case Report with Literature Review.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Clinical and electrophysiological features of pure sensory Guillain-Barré syndrome: retrospective analysis of 22 patients across 14 provinces in Southern China.BMC neurology · 2025Article
- Recent COVID-19 Infection Increases Complication Risk After Body-Contouring Surgery.Aesthetic surgery journal. Open forum · 2025Article
- Small fiber neuropathy associated with COVID-19 infection and vaccination: A prospective case-control study.European journal of neurology · 2025Article
- Post-infectious cough in patients with obesity: an observational study.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- TRPC3/6 Channels Mediate Mechanical Pain Hypersensitivity via Enhancement of Nociceptor Excitability and of Spinal Synaptic Transmission.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2024Article
- SARS-CoV-2 Rapidly Infects Peripheral Sensory and Autonomic Neurons, Contributing to Central Nervous System Neuroinvasion before Viremia.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- Epigenomic landscape of the human dorsal root ganglion: sex differences and transcriptional regulation of nociceptive genes.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024Article
- Genomic analysis of severe COVID-19 considering or not asthma comorbidity: GWAS insights from the BQC19 cohort.BMC genomics · 2024Article
- CNS Viral Infections-What to Consider for Improving Drug Treatment: A Plea for Using Mathematical Modeling Approaches.CNS drugs · 2024Review
- Satellite Glial Cells in Human Disease.Cells · 2024Review
- Neuropathic Corneal Pain after Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Infection.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- The Multisystem Impact of Long COVID: A Comprehensive Review.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Changes in sensitivity and hedonic rating to transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation following COVID-19.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Alzheimer's disease and infectious agents: a comprehensive review of pathogenic mechanisms and microRNA roles.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2024Review
- Advance in the mechanism and clinical research of myalgia in long COVID.American journal of clinical and experimental immunology · 2024Review
- Assessing the causal relationship between COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 syndrome: A Mendelian randomisation study.Journal of global health · 2023Article
7 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 has created a global crisis. COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, is characterized by pneumonia, respiratory distress, and hypercoagulation and can be fatal. An early sign of infection is loss of smell, taste, and chemesthesis-loss of chemical sensation. Other neurological effects of the disease have been described, but not explained. It is now apparent that many of these neurological effects (for instance joint pain and headache) can persist for at least months after infection, suggesting a sensory neuronal involvement in persistent disease. We show that human dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons express the SARS-CoV-2 receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 at the RNA and protein level. We also demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 and coronavirus-associated factors and receptors are broadly expressed in human DRG at the lumbar and thoracic level as assessed by bulk RNA sequencing. ACE2 mRNA is expressed by a subset of nociceptors that express MRGPRD mRNA, suggesting that SARS-CoV-2 may gain access to the nervous system through entry into neurons that form free nerve endings at the outermost layers of skin and luminal organs. Therefore, DRG sensory neurons are a potential target for SARS-CoV-2 invasion of the peripheral nervous system, and viral infection of human nociceptors may cause some of the persistent neurological effects seen in COVID-19.
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What OpenQuestion holds
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.