coronavirus, disease & medicine, neuroscience

Functional proteomics detects elevated neuroinflammatory markers in patient plasma and cerebrospinal fluid!

Absence of human contact is associated with declines in cognitive function. But as the COVID-19 pandemic brings concerns about the potential harms of isolation to the fore, researchers are still hunting for concrete evidence of a causal role as well as possible mechanisms.

A survey of hospitalized patients finds some suffer fatigue, ischemic stroke, delirium, and other symptoms.

Affectionate touches tap into the nervous system’s rest and digest mode, reducing the release of stress hormones, bolstering the immune system, and stimulating brainwaves linked with relaxation.

The symptoms suggest SARS-CoV-2 might infect neurons, raising questions about whether there could be effects on the brain that play a role in patients’ deaths, but the data are preliminary.