NIH launches database to track COVID-related neurological problems

The National Institutes of Health has launched an online data portal to collect clinical information on neurological symptoms, complications and outcomes related to COVID-19.

The NeuroCOVID project will collect de-identified information and biospecimens from clinical studies, procedures and tests. U.S. health care providers and researchers can request access to the database, created and maintained by NYU Langone Health in New York.

“We know that COVID-19 can disrupt multiple body systems but the effects of the virus and the body’s response to COVID-19 infection on the brain, spinal cord, nerves and muscle can be particularly devastating, and contribute to persistence of disability even after the virus is cleared,” said Barbara Karp, M.D., program director, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. “There is an urgent need to understand COVID-19-related neurological problems, which not uncommonly include headaches, fatigue, cognitive difficulties, stroke, pain, and sleep disorders as well as some very rare complications of serious infections.”