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Even if we go through the coronavirus infection lightly and almost asymptomatically, the disease can negatively affect our brain. Research by British scientists shows that the virus affects the volume of the so-called Gray matter in the brain, it slows down cognitive processes and it may also increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
- COVID-19 infection can affect our body for many months after recovery
- British scientists examined a group of approximately 800 people for the effects of the coronavirus on the volume and function of the brain
- Studies have shown that in a group of people who have had the coronavirus, the thickness of the brain’s gray matter tissue, responsible for e.g. for memory, intelligence, language use, abstract thinking, it is much lower than in the case of other participants in the study
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More than 18 months of the coronavirus pandemic have passed, but scientists are still collecting data on the effects of COVID-19 on the human body, and above all on the brain. Some of the findings, although not yet formally confirmed, are of concern. They show, inter alia, that coronavirus may be important to certain biological processes that depend on how the brain works, such as aging.
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Research on changes in the brain
Jessica Bernard, associate professor at Texas A&M University, cognitive neurobiologist, wrote about the experience of scientists studying the effects of coronavirus on the brain. The article was published by Sciencealert.com. According to the author, even in mild cases of coronavirus, the infection can have a negative effect on the functioning of the human brain, especially the aging processes that limit people’s ability to think and move.
“As more evidence has emerged that COVID-19 can affect the body and brain for months or more after infection, my research team has become interested in exploring how it can also affect the natural aging process,” explained Jessica Bernard.
In August 2021, a preliminary but large-scale study of brain changes in people who had experienced COVID-19 was conducted. Scientists relied on the existing Biobank database, which contains brain scans of over 45. people. Almost 800 people from this group were examined.
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Changes in gray matter volume
The research team analyzed brain imaging data and then took additional brain scans of people diagnosed with COVID-19. People who had experienced COVID-19 were compared to those who were not infected. The researchers also took into account the age of the subjects, gender, common disease risk factors, and socioeconomic status.
Clear differences were found in the gray matter, which is made up of the cellular bodies of information-processing neurons in the brain. In the group of people who had previously suffered from the coronavirus, the thickness of the gray matter tissue was clearly smaller than in the second group.
Some changes in gray matter volume and thickness are considered normal, as people age, but here the changes were much greater. Interestingly, When researchers compared the results of those who had a hard time of COVID-19 with the need for hospitalization, they found the same results as for those who had mildly had the disease.
- See also: Gray matter – what is it and what should you know about it?
Slower processing of information
Researchers also examined changes in the brain’s cognitive performance and found that people who contracted COVID-19 processed information more slowly compared to people who did not have the coronavirus. “However, we must interpret these findings with caution as they are awaiting formal evaluation,” stressed Jessica Bernard.
Impairment of smell linked to Alzheimer’s disease?
At the start of the pandemic, one of the most common reports of people infected with COVID-19 was loss of their sense of taste and smell. British scientists found that the areas of the brain affected by COVID-19 are linked to the so-called the olfactory bulb, a structure near the front of the brain that transmits odor signals from the nose to other areas of the brain. The olfactory bulb, in turn, connects to the temporal lobe areas. And we often talk about the temporal lobe in the context of aging and Alzheimer’s disease, because this is where the hippocampus – the limbic part of the limbic system responsible for memory – is located. The hippocampus likely plays a key role in the aging process as it is involved in memory and cognition.
The sense of smell is also important to Alzheimer’s research, as some evidence suggests that people at risk of suffering from the disease have a reduced sense of smell.
Effect of COVID-19 on the Brain. Important questions
The discoveries of scientists raise important questions: What do post-COVID-19 brain changes mean for the aging process and rate? Will the brain be able to recover from a viral infection over time? These questions remain unanswered for the time being. In order to find them, further research and observation of people who have been infected with the coronavirus are necessary.
«Knowing how all these pieces of the puzzle fit together will help us unravel the mysteries of aging so that we can improve the quality of life and function of aging people. And now, in the context of COVID-19, it will help us understand to what extent the brain can also recover from an illness »concludes Jessica Bernard.
Have you been infected with COVID-19 and are worried about the side effects? Check your health by performing a comprehensive test package for convalescents.
Also read:
- How does COVID-19 damage the brain?
- The brain – structure, functions, injuries and diseases. How to nourish the brain?
- Could COVID-19 Lead to Alzheimer’s? New study
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