Mental disorders and the state of the blood-brain barrier in patients with the new coronavirus infection

ABSTRACT

An open prospective study to determine the clinical features of mental disorders in patients with the new coronavirus infection and its connection with the permeability of the blood-brain barrier included 97 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 of varying severity, but without signs of mental disorders in the anamnesis. Somatoform, neurotic and depressive disorders of mild or moderate severity were detected in 45.4% of cases, however, a number of patients (13.4%) had severe degree of disorders, including those with pronounced suicidal ideation. During the immunochemical study, an increase of the level of neurospecific proteins (GFAP and NSE) in blood serum has been detected, however, no reliable correlation of psychopathological symptoms with the results of the analysis of neurospecific proteins could be detected at the present stage. It is assumed that when the blood-brain barrier is permeated, a direct toxic effect on the nervous tissue makes such an oppressive impact that it prevents the development of structurally complex psychopathological formations. © 2021, V. Serbsky National Medical Research Centre for Psychiatry and Narcology. All rights reserved.