Alzheimer’s Association Announces International Brain Study on SARS-CoV-2 Impact on the Brain

At its recent international conference in late July 2020, the Alzheimer’s Association has announced an international study to evaluate the long-term impact of SARS-CoV-2 on brain cognition and function, with some focus on how the virus may affect Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias. This study is also being coordinated by the University of Texas Health San Antonio and will involve representatives from over 25 countries and technical guidance from the World Health Organization.

This study will enroll two groups. The first is people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 that have been discharged from the hospital and they will be evaluated at 6, 9, and 18 months after discharge. The other group is people that are already enrolled in other international research studies – this study will add additional procedures to existing studies. Key areas of focus for this study will be “genetic variation, culture differences, and health disparities on the neuropsychiatric sequelae of COVID-19.” (Lemprière 2020)

This is currently the largest study announced that is evaluating the effects of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on the brain and represents a big step forward in the amount of effort being devoted towards this understudied topic. Hopefully this project is successful and brings us closer to preventing long-term neurological injury as a result of this pandemic.