How does the coronavirus reach the brain? Scientists have found out

After analysing tissue samples from deceased patients' olfactory mucosa and four different brain regions, researchers from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin have figured out the mechanisms through which SARS-CoV-2 can reach the brains of patients who have Covid-19.

According to their findings, the virus enters the brain via nerve cells in the olfactory mucosa, which are located in the upper region of the nasal cavity and contain receptors for our sense of smell.

The study is also the first of its kind to produce electron microscope images of intact SARS-CoV-2 particles inside the olfactory mucosa, which were published in Nature Neuroscience.