Important differentiation
Commenting on the research, Rebecca Edelmayer, PhD, senior director of scientific engagement, Alzheimer’s Association, said the study provides important information. The inclusion of plasma biomarkers in this research is “really critical to tease out what’s the impact of COVID itself on the brain,” said Dr. Edelmayer.
“We’re in an era of biomarkers when it comes to Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and being able to define those changes that are happening in the brain over time is going to be really critical and aid in early detection and accurate diagnoses,” she said.
What is still to be learned is what these biomarkers reveal long term, said Dr. Edelmayer. “Do those biological markers change? Do they go back to normal? A lot of that is still unknown,” she said.
She noted that many diseases that are linked to inflammation produce similar biomarkers in the brain – for example, neurofilament light.
With other viral infections, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), similar associations between the infection and cognition have been reported, said Dr. Edelmayer.
“But there are still a lot of questions around cause and effect. Is it really a direct effect of the virus on the brain itself? Is it an effect of having an enormous amount of inflammation going on in the body? A lot of that still needs to be teased out,” she commented.
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Alzheimer’s Association, and the State of New York. Dr. Wisniewski has consulted for Grifols, Amylon Pharmaceuticals, and Alzamed Neuro; 30 NYU patents are related to AD therapeutics.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.