A recent study by Oxford University has found that COVID-19 can impact the brain by reducing grey matter in the regions that control emotions and memory. The infection also damages crucial areas of the brain that control the sense of smell.

According to scientists, the effects of COVID-19 were seen in people who were not hospitalised due to the infection. However, the degree of impact and whether the effects could be partially reversed required further investigation. Researchers also aimed to study the issues related to long Covid after infection.

In the study which was released earlier this week, researchers affirmed that there is strong evidence for brain-related abnormalities due to COVID-19.

Even in the case of mild infection, people who participated in the research showed "a worsening of executive function" concerning focus and organisation of things. According to the research, on average brain size shrank between 0.2 percent and 2 percent.

Published in the Nature journal, the peer-reviewed study investigated changes in brain in 785 participants aged 51–81. Brains of participants were scanned twice, including those 401 people who caught COVID-19 between their two scans. The second scan was conducted approximately 141 days after the first scan.

Furthermore, the study was carried out at a time when the Alpha variant of COVID-19 was dominant in Britain.

Previous studies have also indicated that some people who were infected with COVID-19 experienced "brain fog" or mental cloudiness. This condition also included impairment to attention, concentration, speed of information processing and memory.

Meanwhile, researchers are still finding out the impact of COVID-19 vaccination on brain concerns. Last month, the UK Health Security Agency stated that a review of 15 studies found that vaccinated people were about half as likely to develop symptoms of long Covid as compared to people who have not received the vaccine.

SOURCE: Khaleej Times

LINK: https://www.khaleejtimes.com/coronavirus/covid-19-can-cause-brain-shrinkage-memory-loss-oxford-study