Study Finds Long Covid May Share Brain Changes Seen In Alzheimer’s Disease

A recent study indicates that long Covid and Alzheimer’s disease may involve similar biological processes in the brain.

Researchers from New York University observed notable structural differences in the brains of long Covid sufferers compared with those who recovered without lingering effects.

Patients with long Covid showed a 10 per cent enlargement of the choroid plexus. This crucial network of blood vessels produces cerebrospinal fluid and aids brain waste removal.

This structure plays a vital role in regulating immune responses, clearing metabolic debris, and maintaining cerebral health.

The researchers noted that this enlargement is associated with reduced cerebral blood flow and compromised cerebrospinal fluid dynamics.

Such changes can aggravate neuroinflammation and hinder the clearance of harmful proteins, similar to mechanisms implicated in Alzheimer’s disease.

Patients with an enlarged choroid plexus showed elevated levels of blood biomarkers linked to neurodegeneration, including phosphorylated tau (pTau217).

Patients also showed increased levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), a marker of brain injury or dementia.

These substances typically increase after brain injury or during progressive dementia.

These markers are commonly studied in Alzheimer’s research.

On standard cognitive tests, individuals with longer-term Covid symptoms performed slightly worse, reinforcing concerns about lasting impacts on memory and thinking skills.

The findings suggest that persistent immune activation caused by long Covid may damage the brain’s protective barriers, initiating pathways that resemble those seen in Alzheimer’s.

While the study does not prove that long Covid causes Alzheimer’s, it highlights shared pathological features between the two conditions.

Scientists emphasise the need for longitudinal studies to determine whether these brain alterations predict future cognitive deterioration.

The authors recommend continued monitoring of brain health in long Covid patients to clarify whether these changes are a cause or consequence of cognitive symptoms.

A better understanding of these overlapping mechanisms could eventually guide preventive and therapeutic strategies.

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