A team of researchers from Columbia University and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in the United States has explored how the coronavirus might affect dopamine neurons in the brain. The findings were reported in the journal Cell Stem Cell and point to potential implications for brain health after infection.
In their study, scientists used human stem cells to generate different brain cell types in the lab. This approach allowed them to observe how the virus interacts with cells that play a key role in brain signaling. The results indicated that SARS CoV 2 can impair dopamine neurons, which are responsible for producing the neurotransmitter dopamine in the mammalian central nervous system.
Dopamine helps regulate pleasure, motivation, and reward processing. It also participates in the anticipation of positive experiences and the formation of memories tied to those experiences. The researchers found that exposure to the virus was linked to inflammatory changes in the body and disruptions in the normal function of dopamine neurons, raising questions about longer term brain health after infection.
The scientists suggest that the virus’s impact on dopamine neurons could help explain some post recovery feelings of anxiety, apathy, or low mood seen in some individuals. The idea is that even small reductions in dopamine activity over time might translate into meaningful differences in energy, motivation, and emotional balance for certain people who have recovered from COVID 19.
These findings, conducted in a controlled laboratory setting with human cells, add to a growing body of work examining potential neurological effects associated with the virus. They underscore the need for ongoing clinical studies to determine how these cellular changes may reflect experiences in living brains, and to identify any factors that might amplify risk. Canadian and American researchers alike are closely watching how these early signals may relate to real world symptoms, including changes in mood, drive, and cognitive performance after infection. The study is a piece of a larger effort to map how SARS CoV 2 interacts with neural development and brain function across different populations and stages of life, and to explore whether interventions could mitigate these effects. At present, the researchers caution that results from cell based models do not yet prove that the same outcomes occur in humans, but they provide important clues for future investigations. The work continues to be cited by teams seeking to understand the broader neurological implications of the virus. This line of inquiry remains a high priority for health researchers in North America and beyond. Attribution: Cell Stem Cell, with contributions from the collaborating institutions, and ongoing follow up studies in clinical settings are anticipated to clarify the relevance of these cellular findings for patient care.