Neurosciences Seminar - Stanley Perlman, MD, PhD

Neurosciences Seminar
Thursday, May 14, 2026
12 PM, BRB 105

Stanley Perlman, MD, PhD
Professor, Microbiology and Immunology,
Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa

Host: Dr. Ron Yu

Lecture Title: "Neurological and other aspects of Long COVID."

Abstract: PASC (Post Acute Sequelae of COVID-19) has become more prominent as numbers of cases of acute severe COVID-19 and associated death have decreased. Here, we discuss a mouse model of PASC, in which mice are infected with a mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2 that causes sublethal or lethal disease. We found prolonged inflammatory and pathological changes in the brain, as well as behavioral changes. In specific, neurons that express tyrosine hydroxylase, the precursor to dopamine, were diminished in numbers in the olfactory bulb and substantia nigra. Similar results were found in the brains of deceased COVID-19 patients. These regions are impacted in patients with Parkinson’s Disease, raising the possibility that SARS-CoV-2 infection could lead to neurodegenerative disease. While virus infects supporting cells (sustentacular cells) in the nasal cavity, olfactory sensory neurons are not infected. Therefore, a key question is how olfactory neuron dysfunction develops in the absence of direct virus infection. We have tentatively identified a key role for IFN signaling in many of the changes that we observe. Treatment with antiviral therapy and corticosteroids at the time of infection or shortly thereafter, but not antiviral therapy alone ameliorated the behavioral defects. We also detected long term changes in the vasculature and nasal cavity. Together, these results suggest that a prolonged inflammatory response is critical in PASC development.

Publication: Verma, A. K., et al. (2026). Combination antiviral and anti-inflammatory therapy mitigates persistent neurological deficits in mice post SARS-CoV-2 infection. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 123(2). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2530209123



Seminar Format
• Introduction by the host
• Presentation (approx. 45-50 min.)
Questions during the presentation are at the individual speaker’s discretion.
• 10-15 minutes of Q&A
We encourage students to ask the first questions.


Attendee Information
Free and open to the public. Seminars are not recorded.
Livestream will be available via Zoom for those who cannot attend in person.

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