How Effects on the Brain Can Produce Long COVID - Neuroscience News

Summary: Immune system mediated injury rather than the virus entering and killing brain cells may explain why people experience long-term consequences associated with COVID-19 infection. COVID-19 may be primarily a respiratory illness, but its reach extends far beyond the lungs. Since the pandemic's onset, it has become clear to neurologists that the pervasive disease can impact even our most precious organ--the brain. The neurologic and psychiatric complications of COVID-19 are incredibly diverse and sometimes persist long after patients recover from their initial infections. Studying the mechanisms behind how these complications arise is urgently needed for helping those struggling with lingering symptoms, writes Serena Spudich, MD, Gilbert H. Glaser Professor of Neurology, in her "Perspective" article published in Science on January 20.