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01-03-2022 | SARS-CoV-2 | Review Article

COVID-19 and its impact on the brain and Mind- A conceptual model and supporting evidence

Authors: Sy Atezaz Saeed, MD, MS, Irene S. Pastis, MD, Melody Grace Santos, MD

Published in: Psychiatric Quarterly | Issue 1/2022

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the novel coronavirus that is causing the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, was first reported in late 2019. Since then, an unprecedented amount of new knowledge has emerged about this virus and its treatment. Although the reported symptoms of COVID-19 are primarily respiratory with acute respiratory distress syndrome, SARS-CoV-2 has also been shown to affect other organs, including brain, and there are growing reports of neuropsychiatric symptoms due to COVID-19. There are two suggested pathways for how COVID-19 can affect the brain and mind: the direct impact on the brain and impact mediated via stress. Direct impact on the brain is manifested as encephalitis/encephalopathy with altered mental status (AMS) and delirium. In this paper, we summarize evidence from studies of previous outbreaks and current data from the COVID-19 pandemic that describe how COVID-19 is associated with an increased prevalence of anxiety, stress, poor sleep quality, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and depression among the general population during the pandemic. In addition, we summarize the current evidence that supports how COVID-19 can also impact the CNS directly and result in delirium, cerebrovascular events, encephalitis, unspecified encephalopathy, AMS, or peripheral neurologic disorders.

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Title: COVID-19 and its impact on the brain and Mind- A conceptual model and supporting evidence
Authors: Sy Atezaz Saeed, MD, MS
Irene S. Pastis, MD
Melody Grace Santos, MD
Publication date: 01-03-2022
Publisher: Springer US
Keywords: SARS-CoV-2
Acute Respiratory Distress-Syndrome
COVID-19
Encephalitis
Encephalopathy
Published in: Psychiatric Quarterly / Issue 1/2022
Print ISSN: 0033-2720
Electronic ISSN: 1573-6709
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-022-09980-9

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COVID-19 and its impact on the brain and Mind- A conceptual model and supporting evidence

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