Overview
- People with neurological long COVID showed about a 10% larger choroid plexus and reduced blood flow in that structure on MRI compared with controls.
- Greater enlargement was associated with higher blood levels of pTau217 and GFAP, proteins tied to Alzheimer’s progression and astrocytic injury.
- Participants with a larger choroid plexus performed about 2% worse on the 30-point Mini-Mental State Exam.
- The peer-reviewed research in Alzheimer’s & Dementia analyzed 179 individuals: 86 with neurological long COVID, 67 recovered without lasting symptoms, and 26 never infected.
- Investigators propose inflammation-driven vascular remodeling and impaired cerebrospinal fluid and waste clearance as possible explanations, note causality is unproven, and plan longitudinal tracking.