Among all the symptoms that have bothered the CVOID-19 patients since its outbreak, the one which was found common in most of the infected people was the loss of smell. Doctors observed that numerous people had complained of losing their sense of smell and sometimes taste too, after contracting the virus. Researchers had earlier tried to explain the impact that the virus has on our olfactory receptors but a recent study tends to shed more light on the reasons that lead to the loss of smell in COVID-19 patients.
According to the study conducted by researchers at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and Columbia University, the SARS-CoV-2 virus tends to dial down the action of olfactory receptors in our body. It even impacts the proteins present on the surfaces of nerve cells in the nose that are responsible for detecting molecules associated with smell, the study suggested.
To get a deeper understanding of the common symptom, the researchers studied the molecular consequences of the virus on golden hamsters and some olfactory tissues sourced from human autopsies.
The authors of the study highlighted that due to the presence of the virus, an inrushing of immune cells, T cells and microglia was observed near the nerve cells in olfactory tissue. They further claimed that these cells release a protein called cytokines, which changes the genetic activity of the olfactory nerve cells.
Through the experiment, it was found that the SARS-CoV-2 infection decreased the ability of DNA chains in chromosomes that are associated with olfactory receptor building. In both the hamsters and human neuronal tissues, researchers observed a widespread and persistent downregulation of olfactory receptor building.
Besides the loss of smell, the team of researchers also tried to unravel other various neurological effects of the virus such as headaches, depression and brain fog. One of the authors of the study, Dr. Benjamin tenOever, underscored that under certain conditions the loss of smell can act as the ‘canary in the coal mine’ and can provide early signals of brain tissue damage.
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