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This year, the COVID-19 pandemic has altered neurological care in many ways. However, evidence indicates that people from marginalized ethnic and socioeconomic groups have been affected by these changes more than others, highlighting and amplifying existing health-care disparities.
As the COVID-19 pandemic developed and neurological manifestations were reported, concern grew that SARS-CoV-2 might directly invade neuronal cells. However, research throughout the year to address this concern has revealed a different story with inflammatory processes at its centre.
The COVID-19 pandemic has posed unique risks to people with Alzheimer disease and dementia. Research from 2020 has shown that these people have a relatively high risk of contracting severe COVID-19, and are also at risk of neuropsychiatric disturbances as a result of lockdown measures and social isolation.