Scientists confirmed that COVID-19 damages the brain

A new study shows that patients hospitalized with COVID-19 have higher blood levels of proteins associated with neurological damage than people with Alzheimer’s disease. This discovery confirms that SARS-CoV-2 does indeed damage the brain.

The new study, conducted by scientists at New York University Grossman School of Medicine, found higher levels of seven markers of neurodegeneration in patients with COVID-19 compared to the uninfected SARS-CoV-2 group. Detailed analysis showed that levels of these markers were rapidly higher in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 than in those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

“Our results show that in patients hospitalized with COVID-19, and especially in those who developed neurological symptoms during the acute infection, levels of brain damage markers may even be higher than in people with Alzheimer’s disease,” said Professor Jennifer Frontera.