COVID-19 and the Brain: The Neuropathological Italian Experience on 33 Adult Autopsies
Viscardo Paolo Fabbri, Mattia Riefolo, Tiziana Lazzarotto, Liliana Gabrielli, Giovanna Cenacchi, Carmine Gallo, Raffaele Aspide, Guido Frascaroli, Rocco Liguori, Raffaele Lodi, Caterina Tonon, Antonietta D’Errico, Maria Pia Foschini
Abstract
Neurological symptoms are increasingly recognized in SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals. However, the neuropathogenesis remains unclear and it is not possible to define a specific damage pattern due to brain virus infection. In the present study, 33 cases of brain autopsies performed during the first (February-April 2020) and the second/third (November 2020-April 2021) pandemic waves are described. In all the cases, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was searched. Pathological findings are described and compared with those presently published.