To identify how SARS-CoV-2 enters the brain, a group of researchers at the Free University of Berlin analyzed tissue samples from 32 patients who died from the disease.

“The new coronavirus invasion occurs at the neuro-mucosal interface. It moves along the olfactory pathway and can cause neurological symptoms,” the researchers said.

Among brain-associated conditions, COVID-19 can alter smell and taste perception.

Another group of German and French specialists also discovered that the new virus cannot reproduce inside the brain cells, but it can cause neurodegenerative diseases.

These results will provide insight into the long-term consequences of the COVID-19 for the nervous system.