NIH Demystifying Medicine: Chronic COVID – Neurologic and Mental Effects

Chronic COVID is proving to be a complex puzzle to solve. What role does the virus play, if any, in observed neurologic symptoms such as memory loss and malaise, and how might this be compounded by the social and emotional upheaval produced by the pandemic? The next Demystifying Medicine course explores chronic COVID from the perspective of two leading neuroscientists who have helped shaped national research policy on COVID.

Dr. Walter Koroshetz was named NINDS Director in 2015 and oversees a budget of more than $2.5 billion. Through NINDS, he has been a primary funder of COVID-19 research in the realm of the SARS-CoV-2’s effect on the brain and nervous system. A member of the National Academy of Medicine, Dr. Koroshetz has conducted research on excitotoxicity, a cause of neuronal cell death.

Dr. Joshua Gordon was named NIMH Director in 2016 and oversees a budget of more than $2 billion. His institute has supported both research and public outreach as it relates to the pandemic’s effect on mental health. Also a member of the National Academy of Medicine, Dr. Gordan maintains a lab in NINDS, where he employs a range of systems neuroscience techniques, including in vivo imaging, anesthetized and awake behavioral recordings, and optogenetics to study schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, and depression.

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