In a new study from the University of Oxford, researchers found that even a mild case of COVID-19 might have damage to the brain.
They found many middle-aged and older adults who’d been sick with COVID showed signs of tissue shrinkage in brain areas related to the sense of smell.
These patients also tended to have more trouble completing complex mental tasks, when compared to people with no history of COVID-19. This effect was most striking among the oldest adults.
Recent research has found that up to 30% of people with COVID-19 may develop “long-haul” symptoms that plague them well after they’ve beaten the infection.
The symptoms include fatigue, headaches, shortness of breath, dulled sense of smell and taste, and problems with memory and concentration that have been dubbed “brain fog.”
In the study, the team tested 785 British adults aged 51 to 81. All had undergone brain scans before the pandemic. They came back for a second scan during the pandemic.
In that group, 401 contracted COVID-19 at some point between the two brain scans, while 384 did not. Nearly all who fell ill—96%—had a milder case. The second scan was taken an average of 4.5 months after their illness.
The team found the COVID group showed greater tissue loss in specific brain areas related to smell, plus a bigger reduction in overall brain size. The effect amounted to an extra 0.2% to 2% tissue loss.
The researchers were able to look at participants’ performance on some standard tests of mental sharpness. And again, the COVID-19 group showed a greater decline, on average.
The divide was most clear among the oldest adults. People in their 70s who’d had COVID worsened by 30%, on average. That compared with 5% among their COVID-free peers.
There was some evidence that performance decline correlated with shrinkage in a brain structure involved in thinking and other mental skills.
The team says it is possible that the brain changes associated with COVID-19 resolve over time.
Another question is whether the results apply to people who’ve had COVID-19 in more recent times.
The study participants were infected earlier in the pandemic, before the rise of the Delta, and then Omicron, variants.
If you care about COVID, please read studies about common depression drug that may help prevent severe COVID-19, and COVID-19 antibodies can stay in your body 10 months after infection.
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The study is published in Nature and was conducted by Gwenaelle Douaud et al.
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