Neurological manifestations of COVID-19 feature T cell exhaustion and dedifferentiated monocytes in cerebrospinal fluid
M Heming, X Li, S Räuber, AK Mausberg, AL Boersch… - Immunity, 2021 - cell.com
Immunity, 2021•cell.com
Patients suffering from Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can develop neurological
sequelae, such as headache and neuroinflammatory or cerebrovascular disease. These
conditions—termed here as Neuro-COVID—are more frequent in patients with severe
COVID-19. To understand the etiology of these neurological sequelae, we utilized single-
cell sequencing and examined the immune cell profiles from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of
Neuro-COVID patients compared with patients with non-inflammatory and autoimmune …
sequelae, such as headache and neuroinflammatory or cerebrovascular disease. These
conditions—termed here as Neuro-COVID—are more frequent in patients with severe
COVID-19. To understand the etiology of these neurological sequelae, we utilized single-
cell sequencing and examined the immune cell profiles from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of
Neuro-COVID patients compared with patients with non-inflammatory and autoimmune …
Summary
Patients suffering from Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can develop neurological sequelae, such as headache and neuroinflammatory or cerebrovascular disease. These conditions—termed here as Neuro-COVID—are more frequent in patients with severe COVID-19. To understand the etiology of these neurological sequelae, we utilized single-cell sequencing and examined the immune cell profiles from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of Neuro-COVID patients compared with patients with non-inflammatory and autoimmune neurological diseases or with viral encephalitis. The CSF of Neuro-COVID patients exhibited an expansion of dedifferentiated monocytes and of exhausted CD4+ T cells. Neuro-COVID CSF leukocytes featured an enriched interferon signature; however, this was less pronounced than in viral encephalitis. Repertoire analysis revealed broad clonal T cell expansion and curtailed interferon response in severe compared with mild Neuro-COVID patients. Collectively, our findings document the CSF immune compartment in Neuro-COVID patients and suggest compromised antiviral responses in this setting.
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