SARS-CoV-2 consequences for mental health: Neuroinflammatory pathways linking COVID-19 to anxiety and depression

Figure 1 Role of neuroinflammation in the development of anxiety and depressive disorders due to coronavirus disease 2019. Peripheral inflammation experienced by patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 neuroinvasion, either via the olfactory tract or blood-brain barrier, contribute to neuroinflammatory alterations in infected individuals. Chronic stress resulting from several factors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic can also induce neuroinflammation. By activating astrocytes and microglia, causing neurotoxicity, and affecting synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis, neuroinflammatory alterations may play a role in the development of anxiety and depression. BBB: Blood-brain barrier; COVID-19: Coronavirus disease 2019; CP: Cribriform plate; LP: Lamina propria; SARS-CoV-2: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.