Influenza usually lasts days or weeks—but could its effects on the brain last much longer? From von Economo's mysterious encephalitis lethargica to modern research linking severe infections with neuroinflammation and later dementia, scientists are reconsidering the long-term neurologic consequences of infection. The evidence does not prove that influenza causes dementia, but it raises an important question: can infection alter the trajectory of an aging brain?

An interesting article that may enlighten us as to what might be going wrong leading to dementia.