Pandemic Neurology

Pria Anand, MD

Anna M. Cervantes-Arslanian, MD

Steven Feske, MD

In 1947, philosopher Albert Camus wrote his novel The Plague about a devastating epidemic ravaging the real-life city of Oran, Algeria. “I have no idea what's awaiting me, or what will happen when this all ends,” Camus wrote. “For the moment, I know this: there are sick people, and they need curing.” Camus's words, informed by the twin blights of bubonic plague and then cholera that had decimated Oran years earlier, feel prophetic in the era of COVID-19: Although acute complications of COVID-19 are increasingly prevented or mitigated by vaccination, physicians continue to grapple with the neurologic sequelae left behind.

In this issue of Seminars in Neurology on “pandemic neurology,” we explore the myriad intersections between neurology and pandemic infections, both past and present. The issue begins chronologically, with a historical perspective on prior pandemic infections. In examining the aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic relevant to the neurologist, we investigate everything from the broad range of neuropathologic and neuroimaging findings in patients with COVID-19 to the complex, bidirectional relationships between COVID-19 and specific neurologic disorders, and to a neurologic perspective on Camus's enduring question: “What will happen when this all ends?”

Like Camus, we as neurologists have no idea what's awaiting us in the ever-evolving arena of pandemic neurology. We hope that this issue will serve not just as a guide for future pandemics but as a record of the state of neurology in these unprecedented times.

We owe a tremendous debt to the contributing authors, who have been incredibly generous with their time and expertise. We are also profoundly grateful to Drs. David Greer and Ariane Lewis, the editor-in-chief and deputy editor of Seminars in Neurology. Thank you for entrusting us with this issue, and for the immeasurable encouragement, support, and guidance along the way.

Finally, to our readers, thank you for the gift of your time and attention. We hope that you will learn as much from reading this issue as we learned from its creation.

Publication History

Article published online:
28 June 2023