WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Peter Meijer (R-MI) today joined Representatives Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Susan Wild (D-PA), Scott Peters (D-CA), and Tony Cárdenas (D-CA) in introducing the Brycen Gray and Ben Price COVID-19 Neurological Impact Act, legislation that would authorize the National Science Foundation (NSF), in consultation with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to award grants on a competitive basis to support research on neurological and psychiatric illnesses associated with COVID-19 infection. It would also establish a federal interagency working group focused on understanding and developing best practices to address this phenomenon.
“With as many as one in three COVID-19 patients experiencing a neuropsychiatric illness following infection, there remains so much about this virus we don't know,” Meijer said. “Engaging NSF in the research of long-term neurological effects of COVID-19 will be critical in our efforts to understand this virus. I am glad to partner in this effort to prioritize Americans’ mental health as we work continue to navigate the pandemic.”
Background:
According to research published in The Lancet Psychiatry, 1 in 3 patients diagnosed with Covid-19 experience a neurological or psychiatric illness following their diagnosis and infection. Even more alarming, 1 in 8 patients are diagnosed with such an illness for the first time. While anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders are among the most common symptoms, researchers have also uncovered a prevalence of serious complications such as psychosis, dementia, and brain hemorrhages.
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