The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is seeking suggestions for experts to participate in the new consensus study on the neurocognitive effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection across the lifespan and implications for U.S. military force readiness and military and veteran health.
The study will investigate the direct effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on neurocognitive function in children, adolescents, working aged adults, and older adults. It will examine which cognitive domains (e.g., attention, memory, executive function) are most consistently affected; whether and how effects differ by severity of initial infection, reinfection, and presence/absence of post-acute sequelae; evidence on the protective effects of COVID-19 vaccination; and evidence on the biological pathways by which the COVID-19 virus may affect the brain.
Using these suggestions, National Academies staff will be looking to build a committee of approximately 12-14 volunteer experts in addition to collecting information for potential speakers, participants, and peer reviewers for any publications resulting from the activity. Based on the Statement of Task, staff are looking for expertise particularly in the following areas:
- Neurology and behavioral neurology
- Neuropsychology and cognitive science
- Pediatric neurology and neurodevelopment
- Geriatrics and cognitive aging
- Infectious diseases (viral pathogenesis)
- Neuroimmunology and neuroinflammation
- Epidemiology and biostatistics
- Educational psychology and learning sciences
- Neuroimaging and neuropathology
- Military medicine and veteran health
- Vaccine science and immunology
- Environmental health
- Health care delivery