COVID-19 and alcohol use disorder: putative differential gene expression patterns that might be associated with neurological complications

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background Several lines of evidence suggest that SARS-CoV-2 invasion of the central nervous system leads to meningitis and encephalopathy syndromes. Additionally, chronic alcoholics were found to be at a higher risk of developing mental health problems and serious neurological manifestations, if exposed to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods Herein, we studied RNA seq data from alcoholics’ brain tissue and COVID-19 patient’s brain tissue to identify the common differentially expressed genes. Results Overlap analysis depicted the expression of seven genes (GHRL, SLN, VGF, IL1RL1, NPTX2, PDYN, and RPRML) that were significantly upregulated in both groups. Along with these, protein–protein interaction analysis revealed 10 other key molecules with strong interactions with the aforementioned genes. Conclusions Taken together with the functional effect of these genes, we suggest a strong molecular link between COVID-19-induced severities and neurological impairment in patients suffering from alcohol abuse disorder. These findings emphasize the importance of identifying chronic alcoholism as a risk factor for developing cognitive and memory impairment in COVID-19 patients. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT