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Scientists have shown that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, can infect dopamine neurons in the brain and cause senescence – when a cell loses its ability to grow and divide. This is reported in a paper published in the journal Cell Stem Cell.
Experts have shown that dopamine neurons infected with SARS-CoV-2 stop working and start sending chemical signals that cause inflammation. Normally, these cells produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter that plays a role in feelings of pleasure, motivation, memory, sleep and movement. Damage to these neurons has also been linked to Parkinson’s disease.
