COVID-19, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Memory Loss: What We Know

• Researchers are learning more about how COVID-19 may impact memory.
• In one study, 1 in 10 patients have been reporting memory problems after mild cases of COVID-19 that did not require hospitalization, even 8 months after disease.
• People who have recovered from COVID-19 but presented with cognitive decline are more likely to be in poorer physical health and have low O2 saturation in their blood.
• COVID-19 may heighten the risk of developing Alzheimer’s, and COVID-19 can cause an increase in blood-based molecular biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease.

COVID-19’s immediate physical effects have been vastly studied, but much remains a mystery regarding long-term complications.

In particular, scientists are scrambling to understand the disease’s long-term effects on neuropsychological health.

Neurological signs of COVID-19, both short and long term, may include symptoms such as the loss of smell and taste and cognitive and attention deficits, known as “brain fog.”

And now, new research shows how COVID-19 continues to affect the brain long after recovery and how some symptoms may be precursors to more serious health problems in the future.

Here is a roundup of the latest studies and newest research presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) on COVID-19 and its neurocognitive effects.