Discussion
Various investigations have reported different neurological disorders attributable to COVID-19, including cerebrovascular accidents, transverse myelitis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, and encephalitis (7-8). As other possible diseases were excluded through suitable clinical and laboratory tests, this report suggests the neuroinvasive potential of SARS-CoV-2.
Increasing evidence suggests that SARS-CoV-2 might have neuro-invading potential, which may cause clinical symptoms and brain damage (9). It has been demonstrated that other coronaviruses may invade the CNS implication and cause an influx of inflammatory cytokines. Human coronavirus OC43 ( HCoV- OC43) is capable of invading neural cells in vitro and causing widespread neuronal damage (10). Infection with other coronaviruses, like SARS and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome viruses, was associated with various neurological manifestations (11). It has been reported that SARS-CoV-1 in mice transgenic for the human angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) receptor can attack the CNS (12). Like SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2 uses the ACE2 receptor to infect the human cells. Therefore, SARS-CoV-2 may target the CNS through this receptor (13). In summary, this report supports the possibility of seizures in patients with COVID-19 infection in the absence of respiratory symptoms. More investigations are needed to determine the potential mechanisms that lead to seizures following SARS- CoV- 2 infection.