Nicholas Fabiano, MD Profile picture
Feb 19 9 tweets 3 min read Read on X
COVID-19 can cause brain cells to fuse.

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These findings are from a study in @ScienceAdvances which explored how viruses alter the function of the nervous system. 2/9 science.org/doi/10.1126/sc…Image
Numerous viruses use specialized surface molecules called fusogens to enter host cells. 3/9
Many of these viruses, including the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), can infect the brain and are associated with severe neurological symptoms through poorly understood mechanisms. 4/9
In this study, it was demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 infection induces fusion between neurons and between neurons and glia in mouse and human brain organoids. 5/9 Image
This was caused by the viral fusogen, as it is fully mimicked by the expression of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein or the unrelated fusogen p15 from the baboon orthoreovirus. 6/9 Image
It was demonstrated that neuronal fusion is a progressive event, leading to the formation of multicellular syncytia, and causing the spread of large molecules and organelles. 7/9 Image
Using Ca2+ imaging, it was shown that fusion severely compromises neuronal activity. 8/9 Image
Overall, these results provide mechanistic insights into how SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses affect the nervous system, alter its function, and cause neuropathology. 9/9

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More from @NTFabiano

Jul 6
Trauma reshapes the brain at the cellular level.

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These findings are from a study in @Nature which profiled the molecular responses in >2 million nuclei from the prefrontal cortex of 111 human brains, collected post-mortem from individuals with and without PTSD and major depressive disorder. 2/10 nature.com/articles/s4158…Image
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common mental health disorder that occurs in the aftermath of serious trauma. 3/10
Read 11 tweets
Jul 4
Higher consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with cognitive decline.

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These findings are from a study in @JAMANeuro which aimed to investigate the association between ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption and cognitive decline. 2/10 jamanetwork.com/journals/jaman…Image
The food supply industries have increased the commercialization UPFs; such UPFs are formulations of processed food substances that contain little or no whole foods and typically include flavorings, colorings, emulsifiers, and other additives. 3/10 Image
Read 10 tweets
Jul 3
Screen time is associated with depressive symptoms - likely mediated by shorter sleep & worse white matter organization.

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These findings are from a study in @JAMAPsych which aimed to identify the association between screen time during late childhood and depressive symptoms in early adolescence. 2/8 jamanetwork.com/journals/jamap…Image
During adolescence, major sleep-circadian changes contribute to a delayed sleep phase; this makes adolescents vulnerable to external influences, such as screen time, which can result in insufficient sleep and poor sleep quality. 3/8
Read 8 tweets
Jul 1
Depression may be contagious through a dysfunctional mirror neuron system.

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This discussion is from a review article in @ElsevierConnect which describes the theory of ‘contagious depression’, whereby depression can be induced or triggered by our social environment. 2/11 sciencedirect.com/science/articl…Image
Emotions can spread like an infectious disease across social networks in a phenomenon called emotional contagion, which can be defined as a tendency to acquire affective states from our social contacts. 3/11
Read 11 tweets
Jun 30
Light can travel through the head, guided by cerebrospinal fluid & tissue geometry.

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These findings are from a study in @spietweets which explored the physical limits of photon transport in the head in the extreme case wherein the source and detector were diametrically opposite. 2/10 spiedigitallibrary.org/journals/neuro…Image
Optical modalities for noninvasive imaging of the human brain hold promise to fill the technology gap between cheap and portable devices such as electroencephalography (EEG) and expensive high-resolution instruments such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). 3/10
Read 10 tweets
Jun 29
Quantum entanglement may generate consciousness.

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These findings are from a study in @PhysRevE which employs cavity quantum electrodynamics to explore entangled biphoton generation through cascade emission as a potential source for the synchronized activity of neurons. 2/13 journals.aps.org/pre/abstract/1…Image
Quantum entanglement is the phenomenon of a group of particles being generated, interacting, or sharing spatial proximity in such a way that the quantum state of each particle of the group cannot be described independently of the state of the others. 3/13
Read 13 tweets

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