International Network to Study SARS-CoV-2 Impact on Behavior and Cognition
Alzheimer's Association International Network to Study Chronic Neurological Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2
Scientific leaders, including the Alzheimer’s Association® and representatives from around the world, including six continents, are working together with technical guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO) to track the long-term impact of SARS-CoV-2 (also known as novel coronavirus, COVID-19) on the brain.
The impact of SARS-CoV-2 on the brain
During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, global health care resources were focused on treating affected individuals and preventing the further spread of the infection. Although relatively little is known about the long-term consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection, there are several research studies to suggest that COVID-19 is associated with neurological complications. The downstream impact of COVID-19 on the brain is not well understood. There are many unanswered questions regarding the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on the cerebrovascular system (e.g., blood-brain barrier integrity), the brain's immune response and more.
About this network
Scientific leaders, including the Alzheimer’s Association and representatives from more than 25 countries around the world, including six continents, — with technical guidance from the WHO — formed an international, multidisciplinary consortium to collect and evaluate the short- and long-term consequences of the viral infection on the central nervous system, as well as the differences across countries on the viral impact of COVID-19. This study aims to better understand the long-term consequences that may impact the brain, cognition and function — including underlying biology that may contribute to Alzheimer’s and other dementia.
Published papers
Alzheimer's & Dementia—Translational Research and Clinical Interventions, September 2022, Chronic neuropsychiatric sequelae of SARS-CoV-2: Protocol and methods from the Alzheimer's Association Global Consortium. This paper describes our/details our attempts to understand the molecular and/or systemic factors linking COVID-19 to neurologic illness, both short- and long-term.Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, January 2021, The chronic neuropsychiatric sequelae of COVID‐19: The need for a prospective study of viral impact on brain functioning. This paper surveyed 100 years of data on major viral infections — including SARS, MERS and COVID — and their long-term impacts on the brain.
To learn more about this network, please contact:
Heather Snyder, Ph.D.
Vice President, Medical and Scientific Relations
Alzheimer’s Association
hsnyder@alz.org
Gabriel A. de Erausquin, M.D., Ph.D., MSc
Zachry Foundation Distinguished Professor of Neurology
Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases
Long School of Medicine
UT Health San Antonio
deerausquing@uthscsa.edu
Sudha Seshadri, M.D.
Founding Director
Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases
Long School of Medicine
UT Health San Antonio
seshadri@uthscsa.edu
Traolach (Terry) Brugha, M.D., FRCPsych, SFHEA
Professor of Psychiatry, Social and Epidemiological Psychiatry Group,
Mental Health Aging Primary Care and Public Health (MAPP), Department of Health Sciences
College of Life Sciences
University of Leicester
tsb@le.ac.uk