COVID-19 can cause the brain to shrink, reducing the gray area in the areas that control emotion and memory. This disrupts the area that controls the sense of smell, according to a study at Oxford University.
Scientists say the effect was even seen in COVID-19 sufferers who were not hospitalized. Whether the effects can be partially reversed or persist in the long term, requires further research.
"There is strong evidence of brain-related abnormalities in people with COVID-19," the researchers said in their study, released Monday (7/3). Even in mild cases, according to the study, patients in the study showed worsening of the "executive function" responsible for focus and organization. They also found that the average brain size shrank by between 0.2% and 2%.
Nature research paper: SARS-CoV-2 is associated with changes in brain structure in UK Biobank https://t.co/3gel3fZQ0q
— nature (@Nature) March 7, 2022
The peer-reviewed study, published in the journal Nature, investigated brain changes in 785 people aged 51 to 81 who had their brains scanned twice, including 401 people who contracted COVID between the first and second brain scans.
The second scan was performed an average of 141 days after the first scan. The study was conducted when the Alpha variant was predominant in the UK and was unlikely to involve anyone infected with the Delta variant.
Scans of #ukbiobank participants before and after #COVID19 infection reveal changes to gray matter in the brain: @NDCNOxford https://t.co/NTXP8NP06g #health #research
— UK Biobank (@uk_biobank) March 7, 2022
Studies have found that some people with COVID-19 experience "brain fog" which includes impaired attention, ability to concentrate, speed of information processing, and memory. The researchers did not say whether the COVID vaccination had an impact on the condition or not.