As per a study by scientists at Yale University in the USA, the way Coronavirus affects lungs, it might also affect the brain. As reported in The Print, The SARS-CoV-2 invades brain cells, hijacks them to make copies of itself and sucks up all of the oxygen nearby to starve neighbouring cells to death.

However, experts are yet to study the same findings.

Scientists believe brain infection can be more fatal than the respiratory infection. The virus exploits the machinery of the brain cells to multiply without destroying them.

It’s kind of a silent infection. This virus has a lot of evasion mechanisms, Dr Akiko Iwasaki, the scientist leading the Yale research told The New York Times.

A study was conducted by inserting ACE2 receptors in two sets of mice: one in the lungs, other in brain. During the study, it was found that while the brain-infected mice lost weight rapidly and died within six days, the lung-infected ones didn’t die nor lose weight.

Speaking about synapses (the site of transmission of electric nerve impulses between two nerve cells (neurons) or between a neuron and a gland or muscle cell or effector), Dr Alysson Muotri, a neuroscientist at the University of California, told The New York Times, Days after infection, and we already see a dramatic reduction in the amount of synapses. We don’t know yet if that is reversible or not.

Scientists claim the virus may enter brain cells through the olfactory bulb that regulates smell, via eyes as well as the bloodstream.

The reports suggested that low blood oxygen from infected brain cells could cause strokes. But, even inflammation in lungs could cause stroke, which could lead to clogging of blood vessels.