ABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic is a significant psychological stressor in addition to its tremendous impact on every facet of individuals' lives and organizations in virtually all social and economic sectors worldwide. Fear of illness and uncertainty about the future precipitate anxiety- and stress-related disorders, and several groups have rightfully called for the creation and dissemination of robust mental health screening and treatment programs for the general public and front-line healthcare workers. However, in addition to pandemic-associated psychological distress, the direct effects of the virus itself (several acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus; SARS-CoV-2), and the subsequent host immunologic response, on the human central nervous system (CNS) and related outcomes are unknown. We discuss currently available evidence of COVID-19 related neuropsychiatric sequelae while drawing parallels to past viral pandemic-related outcomes. Past pandemics have demonstrated that diverse types of neuropsychiatric symptoms, such as encephalopathy, mood changes, psychosis, neuromuscular dysfunction, or demyelinating processes, may accompany acute viral infection, or may follow infection by weeks, months, or longer in recovered patients. The potential mechanisms are also discussed, including viral and immunological underpinnings. Therefore, prospective neuropsychiatric monitoring of individuals exposed to SARS-CoV-2 at various points in the life course, as well as their neuroimmune status, are needed to fully understand the long-term impact of COVID-19, and to establish a framework for integrating psychoneuroimmunology into epidemiologic studies of pandemics.
Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections/psychology , Cytokine Release Syndrome/psychology , Mental Disorders/psychology , Nervous System Diseases/psychology , Pneumonia, Viral/psychology , Acute Disease , Anxiety/etiology , Anxiety/immunology , Anxiety/psychology , Bacterial Translocation , Betacoronavirus , COVID-19 , Chronic Disease , Coronavirus Infections/complications , Coronavirus Infections/immunology , Coronavirus Infections/therapy , Cytokine Release Syndrome/immunology , Cytokine Release Syndrome/therapy , Demyelinating Diseases/etiology , Demyelinating Diseases/immunology , Demyelinating Diseases/physiopathology , Demyelinating Diseases/psychology , Depression/etiology , Depression/immunology , Depression/psychology , Humans , Immunologic Factors/adverse effects , Mental Disorders/etiology , Mental Disorders/immunology , Mental Health , Nervous System Diseases/etiology , Nervous System Diseases/immunology , Nervous System Diseases/physiopathology , Neurodegenerative Diseases/etiology , Neurodegenerative Diseases/immunology , Neurodegenerative Diseases/physiopathology , Neurodegenerative Diseases/psychology , Pandemics , Pneumonia, Viral/complications , Pneumonia, Viral/immunology , Pneumonia, Viral/therapy , Psychoneuroimmunology , Psychotic Disorders/etiology , Psychotic Disorders/immunology , Psychotic Disorders/psychology , Public Health , SARS-CoV-2 , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/etiology , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/immunology , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/psychologyABSTRACT
Psychiatric symptoms are seen in some COVID-19 patients, as direct or indirect sequelae, but it is unclear whether SARS-CoV-2 infection interacts with underlying neuronal or psychiatric susceptibilities. Such interactions might arise from COVID-19 immune responses, from infection of neurons themselves or may reflect social-psychological causes. To clarify this we sought the key gene expression pathways altered in COVID-19 also affected in bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and schizophrenia, since this may identify pathways of interaction that could be treatment targets. We performed large scale comparisons of whole transcriptome data and immune factor transcript data in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from COVID-19 patients and patients with psychiatric disorders. We also analysed genome-wide association study (GWAS) data for symptomatic COVID-19 patients, comparing GWAS and whole-genome sequence data from patients with bipolar disorder, PTSD and schizophrenia patients. These studies revealed altered signalling and ontology pathways shared by COVID-19 patients and the three psychiatric disorders. Finally, co-expression and network analyses identified gene clusters common to the conditions. COVID-19 patients had peripheral blood immune system profiles that overlapped with those of patients with psychiatric conditions. From the pathways identified, PTSD profiles were the most highly correlated with COVID-19, perhaps consistent with stress-immune system interactions seen in PTSD. We also revealed common inflammatory pathways that may exacerbate psychiatric disorders, which may support the usage of anti-inflammatory medications in these patients. It also highlights the potential clinical application of multi-level dataset studies in difficult-to-treat psychiatric disorders in this COVID-19 pandemic.