Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Scientists In Nearly 40 Nations Join Study On Covid Brain Abnormalities
The Washington Post: Large-Scale Global Study To Investigate Links Between Covid And Cognitive Decline
There is compelling evidence that covid-19 will have long-term effects on the brains and nervous systems of survivors as they age, and researchers on Tuesday announced a large international study to investigate the correlation between the coronavirus and cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia in later life. Decades of evidence from other respiratory viruses, along with observations of patients in recent months, suggests such infections may increase a person’s risk for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and other brain disorders, according to a paper announcing the study, published Tuesday in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. (Bahrampour, 1/5)
NPR: How COVID-19 Attacks The Brain And May, In Severe Cases, Cause Lasting Damage
Early in the pandemic, people with COVID-19 began reporting an odd symptom: the loss of smell and taste. The reason wasn't congestion. Somehow, the SARS-CoV-2 virus appeared to be affecting nerves that carry information from the nose to the brain. That worried neurologists. "We were afraid that SARS CoV-2 was going to invade the brain," says Dr. Gabriel de Erausquin, an investigator at the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. (Hamilton, 1/5)
In other science and research news —
The Baltimore Sun: Henrietta Lacks Enhancing Cancer Research Act, Backed By Maryland Lawmakers, Is Signed By President Trump
President Donald Trump signed a bill Tuesday inspired by the late Henrietta Lacks, a Baltimore County woman whose cells were used for medical research without her consent. The Henrietta Lacks Enhancing Cancer Research Act requires the federal government to publish a report on government-funded cancer research trials, including the amount of participation by underrepresented populations and the barriers to participation. (Oxenden, 1/5)
