Huff, Hanalise V, Roberts, Henry, Bartrum, Elizabeth et al. · Frontiers in neurology · 2025 · DOI
This study looked at neurological symptoms in 213 people with Long-COVID, examined 8 months after infection. Researchers found that fatigue, brain fog, unrefreshed sleep, and word-finding difficulties were very common and often severe. Importantly, these symptoms appeared to be caused by the virus itself rather than by pre-existing health conditions or how sick people were during acute infection.
This study provides evidence that Long-COVID produces persistent, severe neurologic sequelae resembling ME/CFS symptoms that are driven by the viral infection itself rather than psychological factors or pre-existing vulnerability. For ME/CFS patients and researchers, this validates the biological basis of post-viral neurological dysfunction and suggests that Long-COVID should be investigated as a potential window into ME/CFS pathogenesis. The findings underscore the need for biomedical research into viral mechanisms affecting the nervous system.
This study does not establish causation between SARS-CoV-2 and neurologic symptoms—it demonstrates association only. The self-referral recruitment and reliance on subjective symptom reporting cannot definitively exclude selection bias or confounding. The study does not identify the biological mechanisms responsible for symptoms or determine whether symptoms will persist long-term beyond the 8-month median observation period.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Huff, Hanalise V, Roberts, Henry, Bartrum, Elizabeth, Norato, Gina, Grayson, Nicholas, Fleig, Katherine, et al. (2025). Prevalence and severity of neurologic symptoms in Long-COVID and the role of pre-existing conditions, hospitalization, and mental health.. Frontiers in neurology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2025.1562084
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-huff-2025-prevalence-severity,
author = {Huff, Hanalise V and Roberts, Henry and Bartrum, Elizabeth and Norato, Gina and Grayson, Nicholas and Fleig, Katherine and Wilkerson, Miciah J and Stussman, Barbara J and Nath, Avindra and Walitt, Brian},
title = {Prevalence and severity of neurologic symptoms in Long-COVID and the role of pre-existing conditions, hospitalization, and mental health.},
journal = {Frontiers in neurology},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.3389/fneur.2025.1562084},
note = {PubMed: 40635708},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/huff-2025-prevalence-severity},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/huff-2025-prevalence-severity
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