How SARS-CoV-2 may affect the brain

Despite the unprecedented speed of research surrounding COVID-19, scientists are learning more every day. New research out of Georgia State University indicates that the effects of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus underlying the COVID-19 disease) on the brain, rather than the lungs, can lead to a severe disease in itself. See more here. While this study was done in mice, other studies using human subjects, such as this one, indicate either a direct effect of SARS-CoV-2 on the brain or a secondary effect due to loss of oxygen. Either one of these effects may have longterm cognitive consequences that can be identified on neuropsychological evaluation, while on the other hand research may indicate that neuropsychological functioning is not affected in the long-term following COVID-19.

As we find out more about COVID-19, and the SARS-CoV-2 virus that underlies it, we will learn more about how the brain, and neuropsychological functioning, may be affected.