Abstract
COVID-19 is mainly associated with respiratory symptoms, although several reports showed that SARS-CoV-2 affects the nervous system. We evaluated the effects of infection in prolonged culture of midbrain organoids, showing that the virus induces changes in gene expression, and fragmentation and loss of dopaminergic neurons. Our findings highlight the direct viral-induced damage to midbrain organoids indicating the relevance of assessing the neurological long-term evolution of COVID-19 patients.
Competing Interest Statement
J.J. and J.C.S. are co-founders of OrganoTherapeutics SARL.
Copyright
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC 4.0 International license.
Posted March 21, 2023.
SARS-CoV-2 infection induces dopaminergic neuronal loss in midbrain organoids during short and prolonged cultures
