Patients with mild cases of COVID-19 suffered a loss of the brain’s “gray matter” plus damage in areas associated with the sense of smell and a larger-than-average decline in cognitive function, according to research published Monday in the journal Nature.
Why it matters: The U.K. study is the first to compare brain scans before and after infection — and mostly deals with patients who had mild cases, which are the most common type arising from COVID infections.
Key takeaway: The loss of brain volume observed equals an extra year of normal aging, lead author Gwenaëlle Douaud at University of Oxford told NBC News.
The study: Researchers investigated brain changes in 785 participants in the UK Biobank, a repository containing genetic and health information from half a million participants. A total of 401 cases tested positive for infection between their two scans, with 141 days on average separating their diagnosis and second scan.
Yes, but: What’s still unclear is whether the brain damage is reversible.
Our thought bubble: The overlapping smell and memory-related brain functions shown to be affected by COVID raise questions about whether the virus could contribute to Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia, the researchers wrote.
Patients with mild cases of COVID-19 suffered a loss of the brain’s “gray matter” plus damage in areas associated with the sense of smell and a larger-than-average decline in cognitive function, according to research published Monday in the journal Nature.Why it matters: The U.K. study is the first to compare brain scans before and after infection — and mostly deals with patients who had mild cases, which are the most common type arising from COVID infections.Key takeaway: The loss of brain volume observed equals an extra year of normal aging, lead author Gwenaëlle Douaud at University of Oxford told NBC News. The study: Researchers investigated brain changes in 785 participants in the UK Biobank, a repository containing genetic and health information from half a million participants. A total of 401 cases tested positive for infection between their two scans, with 141 days on average separating their diagnosis and second scan.Yes, but: What’s still unclear is whether the brain damage is reversible. Our thought bubble: The overlapping smell and memory-related brain functions shown to be affected by COVID raise questions about whether the virus could contribute to Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia, the researchers wrote.