Non-permissive SARS-CoV-2 infection in human neurospheres

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was initially described as a viral infection of the respiratory tract. It is now known, however, that several biological systems are also affected, including the central nervous system (CNS). Neurological manifestations such as stroke, encephalitis, and psychiatric conditions have been reported in COVID-19 patients, but the neurotropic potential of the virus is still debated. Herein, we sought to investigate SARS-CoV-2 infection in human neural cells. We demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 infection of neural tissue is non-permissive, however it can elicit inflammatory response and cell damage. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that most of the neural damage caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection is due to a systemic inflammation leading to indirect harmful effects on the CNS despite the absence of local viral replication.