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. 2023 Dec 25;21(2):134–143. doi: 10.1038/s41423-023-01119-5

Fig. 2. Olfactory neuroinvasion in mammalian SARS-CoV-2.

Fig. 2

In some animal models, SARS-CoV-2 is able to invade the brain through the olfactory nerve. The virus infects sustentacular cells and olfactory sensory neurons in the mucosa, then travels through olfactory axons, reaching the olfactory bulb of the brain. Immune cells migrate to both the mucosa and the brain, producing inflammatory mediators that can both fight the virus and contribute to destructive neuroinflammation