A new study, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, has been reported on by The Independent and other news sources today. Read more about it from Dr Katrina Pears, MEA Research Coordinator, below.
ME Association Comment from Dr Katrina Pears:
This moderate‑sized new study expands our understanding of brain health in Long Covid, including 86 people with Long Covid, 67 who had recovered from COVID‑19, and 26 COVID‑negative healthy controls. Cognitive dysfunction is well documented in Long Covid (and in ME/CFS), and this research adds to the growing evidence on how COVID‑19 interacts with the brain.
The study, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, examined changes in the choroid plexus — a structure involved in immune activity and cerebrospinal fluid regulation. Researchers found that individuals with Long Covid showed slightly enlarged choroid plexus volume and reduced blood flow compared with healthy controls. These patterns can also appear in other conditions involving inflammation.
Importantly, the study does not show that Long Covid causes Alzheimer’s disease, nor that people with Long Covid are destined to develop dementia. Instead, the findings highlight biological pathways worth studying further, such as inflammation and immune activation, which may help scientists better understand why some people experience prolonged symptoms after COVID‑19. These changes are associations — not predictors — and do not translate into a diagnosis or inevitable progression to Alzheimer’s.
It is not yet known whether these changes are reversible, and long‑term studies will be essential. However, this work does provide a promising potential marker for assessing brain health.
While a range of neuroimaging abnormalities have been identified in ME/CFS — including altered cerebral blood flow and functional connectivity changes — there are currently no published studies demonstrating choroid plexus enlargement or altered choroid plexus blood flow in ME/CFS. This makes it especially valuable to see similar research conducted in ME/CFS, ideally with both conditions studied side by side.
Dr Katrina Pears,
Research Coordinator
The ME Association
Media Coverage:
- The Independent: Long Covid could trigger changes in the brain that are similar to Alzheimer’s, new study says | February 11, 2026
- NYU Langone Health: Long COVID Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease Mechanisms | February 10, 2026
- GenEngNews: How Long COVID-Related Brain Changes May Link to Alzheimer’s Disease | February 10, 2026
- Mirror: Dementia warning as Long Covid ‘may trigger changes in brain similar to Alzheimer's' | February 10, 2026
- LabMate: Enlarged choroid plexus in Long COVID linked to Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers
- Radiology Business: Scientists discover link between Alzheimer's and long COVID on MRI scans | February 10, 2026
- PR Newswire: Long COVID Linked to Alzheimer's Disease Mechanisms | February 10, 2026