COVID-19 and the Chemical Senses: Supporting Players Take Center Stage

• Published in: Neuron (Cambridge, Mass.) Vol. 107; no. 2; pp. 219 - 233
• Main Authors: Cooper, Keiland W., Brann, David H., Farruggia, Michael C., Bhutani, Surabhi, Pellegrino, Robert, Tsukahara, Tatsuya, Weinreb, Caleb, Joseph, Paule V., Larson, Eric D., Parma, Valentina, Albers, Mark W., Barlow, Linda A., Datta, Sandeep Robert, Di Pizio, Antonella
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 22-07-2020; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Animals; Betacoronavirus; Chemoreception; Colds; Common cold; Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology; Coronavirus Infections - physiopathology; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Gene expression; Humans; Infections; Nose; Olfaction; Olfaction Disorders - epidemiology; Olfaction Disorders - physiopathology; Olfaction Disorders - virology; Olfactory Bulb - physiopathology; Olfactory Bulb - virology; Olfactory Mucosa - physiopathology; Olfactory Mucosa - virology; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral - epidemiology; Pneumonia, Viral - physiopathology; Proteins; Researchers; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Smell; Smell - physiology; Stem cells; Taste - physiology; Taste Disorders - epidemiology; Taste Disorders - physiopathology; Taste Disorders - virology; Viral infections
• ISSN: 0896-6273; 1097-4199
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.06.032

The main neurological manifestation of COVID-19 is loss of smell or taste. The high incidence of smell loss without significant rhinorrhea or nasal congestion suggests that SARS-CoV-2 targets the chemical senses through mechanisms distinct from those used by endemic coronaviruses or other common cold-causing agents. Here we review recently developed hypotheses about how SARS-CoV-2 might alter the cells and circuits involved in chemosensory processing and thereby change perception. Given our limited understanding of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis, we propose future experiments to elucidate disease mechanisms and highlight the relevance of this ongoing work to understanding how the virus might alter brain function more broadly.
Impairments of smell and taste perception are two of the main symptoms of COVID–19. In this issue of Neuron, Cooper et al. focus on these chemosensory symptoms and review recent hypotheses of the putative mechanisms mediating the loss of taste and smell through COVID–19.