COVID-19 and Alzheimer’s disease: how one crisis worsens the other

Translational Neurodegeneration

Yi Wang¹  Xiaohuan Xia¹  Jialin Zheng² 

[1] Center for Translational Neurodegeneration and Regenerative Therapy, Tenth People’s Hospital of Tongji University, 200072, Shanghai, China;Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain-Like Intelligence, Shanghai Fourth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, 200434, Shanghai, China;Center for Translational Neurodegeneration and Regenerative Therapy, Tenth People’s Hospital of Tongji University, 200072, Shanghai, China;Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain-Like Intelligence, Shanghai Fourth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, 200434, Shanghai, China;Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Tongji University, 200092, Shanghai, China;Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 68198-5930, Omaha, NE, USA;

关键词: COVID-19;    SARS-CoV-2;    Alzheimer’s disease;    Central nervous system;    Inflammation;    Cognitive impairment;    Angiotensin converting enzyme 2;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40035-021-00237-2

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has emerged as a key comorbidity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The morbidity and mortality of COVID-19 are elevated in AD due to multiple pathological changes in AD patients such as the excessive expression of viral receptor angiotensin converting enzyme 2 and pro-inflammatory molecules, various AD complications including diabetes, lifestyle alterations in AD, and drug-drug interactions. Meanwhile, COVID-19 has also been reported to cause various neurologic symptoms including cognitive impairment that may ultimately result in AD, probably through the invasion of SARS-CoV-2 into the central nervous system, COVID-19-induced inflammation, long-term hospitalization and delirium, and post-COVID-19 syndrome. In addition, the COVID-19 crisis also worsens behavioral symptoms in uninfected AD patients and poses new challenges for AD prevention. In this review, we first introduce the symptoms and pathogenesis of COVID-19 and AD. Next, we provide a comprehensive discussion on the aggravating effects of AD on COVID-19 and the underlying mechanisms from molecular to social levels. We also highlight the influence of COVID-19 on cognitive function, and propose possible routes of viral invasion into the brain and potential mechanisms underlying the COVID-19-induced cognitive impairment. Last, we summarize the negative impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on uninfected AD patients and dementia prevention.

【 授权许可】

CC BY