Neuroscientists have discovered that SARS-CoV-2 viral proteins directly activate pain-sensing nerves in the airways to trigger sneezing, coughing, and body aches, overturning the long-held view that symptoms stem solely from immune inflammation.
The study shows that the viral enzyme PLpro activates the wasabi-sensing TRPA1 receptor on sensory neurons, offering new therapeutic targets for acute viral symptoms and long COVID.
For decades, textbooks have explained the misery of respiratory infections, the racking coughs, relentless sneezing, headaches, and full-body aches, as collateral damage from the immune system. According to conventional wisdom, infected airway cells and responding immune cells release a storm of inflammatory mediators that secondarily irritate nearby nerve endings.
Now, a study published in the journal Neuron reveals that coronaviruses do not wait for the immune system to sound the alarm; their viral proteins directly hijack the peripheral nervous system.
Source: Neuroscience News — Read the full article on the original site ↗