HEALTH

Study links even mild COVID-19 to changes in the brain

Mar 7, 2022, 12:56 PM | Updated: Jun 8, 2022, 3:18 pm

...

(CNN) — Patients with even a mild case of COVID-19 may experience accelerated aging of the brain and other changes to it, according to a new study.

The study, published Monday in the journal Nature, is believed to be the largest of its kind. It found that the brains of those who had COVID-19 had a greater loss of grey matter and abnormalities in the brain tissue compared with those who didn’t have COVID-19. Many of those changes were in the area of the brain related to the sense of smell.

“We were quite surprised to see clear differences in the brain even with mild infection,” lead author Gwenaëlle Douaud, an associate professor of neurosciences at the University of Oxford, told CNN in an email.

Douaud and her colleagues evaluated brain imaging from 401 individuals who had COVID-19 between March 2020 and April 2021, both before infection and an average of 4.5 months after infection. They compared the results with brain imaging of 384 uninfected individuals similar in age, socioeconomics and risk factors such as blood pressure and obesity. Of the 401 infected individuals, 15 patients had been hospitalized.

The 785 participants were between the ages of 51 and 81 were all part of the UK Biobank, an ongoing government health database of 500,000 UK participants begun in 2012.

Douaud explained that it is normal for people to lose 0.2% to 0.3% of grey matter every year in the memory-related areas of the brain as they age, but in the study evaluation, patients who had been infected with the coronavirus lost an additional 0.2% to 2% of tissue compared with those who hadn’t been infected.

In addition to imaging, the participants were also tested for their executive and cognitive function using the Trail Making Test, a tool used to help detect cognitive impairments associated with dementia and test a person’s brain processing speed and function. The authors found that those who had the greatest brain tissue loss also performed the worst on this exam.

While the areas of the brain most impacted appear to be related to the olfactory system, Douaud said it wasn’t clear why that was the case.

“Since the abnormal changes we see in the infected participants’ brains might be partly related to their loss of smell, it is possible that recovering it might lead to these brain abnormalities becoming less marked over time. Similarly, it is likely that the harmful effects of the virus (whether direct, or indirect via inflammatory or immune reactions) decrease over time after infection. The best way to find out would be to scan these participants again in one or two years’ time,” she said.

Douaud added that the researchers anticipate reimaging and testing the participants in one to two years.

 

The larger impact of brain changes

 

And while the study finds some association between infection and brain function, it’s still not clear why. Previous studies have shown people with significant and repeated loss of smell also have an associated loss of grey matter. However, this study did not evaluate whether patients actually experienced loss of smell.

The authors cautioned that the findings were only of a moment in time, but noted that they “raise the possibility that longer-term consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection might in time contribute to Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia.”

While the findings were noticeable, they weren’t enough to cause alarm, said Dr. Richard Isaacson, a neurologist and director of the Florida Atlantic University Center for Brain Health. Isaacson was not involved in the study.

Isaacson said the study findings were noticeable for clinicians, but he added that the overall impact on individuals was difficult to determine and could be small. “It’s really hard to know the long-term clinical impact and quality of life impact in a situation like this,” he said.

“The brain may be affected by other mechanisms such as immune, inflammatory, vascular or psychological/behavioral change but not direct infection,” said Dr. Alan Carson, a professor of neuropsychiatry at the Center for Clinical Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, who was not involved in the study.

“What this study almost certainly shows is the impact, in terms of neural changes,” he said. “But I don’t think it helps us understand the mechanisms underpinning cognitive change after COVID infection.”

KSL 5 TV Live

Health

A general view of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta...

Brenda Goodman, CNN

CDC set to stop tracking community levels for Covid-19

As the nation's public health emergency expires on May 11, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will stop reporting its color-coded Covid-19 Community Levels as a way to track the spread of the infection.

11 months ago

YCC Family Crisis Center...

Katija Stjepovic

How you can help domestic abuse survivors get back on their feet

Mother's Day is coming up and it can be a tough time for women who aren't surrounded by loved ones, or those who have found themselves in a tough spot in their life.

11 months ago

Group is walking to Wendover for suicide preventin and awareness...

Ayanna Likens

100-mile walk to Wendover raises awareness for suicide prevention

Several Utahns are taking part in the annual 100-mile walk to Wendover from Tooele City to raise awareness for suicide prevention.

11 months ago

The CDC is investigating a cluster of rare and serious brain abscesses in kids in and around Las Ve...

Brenda Goodman

Mysterious cluster of brain infections strikes kids in southern Nevada

Disease detectives with the CDC are investigating a cluster of rare and serious brain abscesses in kids in and around Las Vegas, and doctors from other parts of the country say they may be seeing a rise in cases, too.

11 months ago

Laura Bushman vaccines...

Ayanna Likens

Why it’s important to get your children vaccinated

It's World Infant Immunization Week, Intermountain Health doctors have highlighted the importance of getting your children under two vaccinated.

11 months ago

(KSL TV)...

Ayanna Likens

Free program helps older adults adjust to aging

Aging can come with some changes and challenges in our health, finances and quality of life, but there is a great resource that helps older adults adjust to some of those changes and thrive.

11 months ago

Sponsored Articles

Stack of old laptops with dark background...

PC Laptops

Old Laptop Upgrades You Need to Try Before Throwing it Away

Get the most out of your investment. Try these old laptop upgrades before throwing it out to keep it running fast and efficient.

Happy diverse college or university students are having fun on their graduation day...

BYU MBA at the Marriott School of Business

How to Choose What MBA Program is Right for You: Take this Quiz Before You Apply!

Wondering what MBA program is right for you? Take this quiz before you apply to see if it will help you meet your goals.

Close up of an offset printing machine during production...

Les Olson IT

Top 7 Reasons to Add a Production Printer to Your Business

Learn about the different digital production printers and how they can help your company save time and money.

vintage photo of lighting showroom featuring chandeliers, lamps, wall lights and mirrors...

Lighting Design

History of Lighting Design | Over 25 Years of Providing Utah With the Latest Trends and Styles

Read about the history of Lighting Design, a family-owned and operated business that paved the way for the lighting industry in Utah.

Fiber Optical cables connected to an optic ports and Network cables connected to ethernet ports...

Brian Huston, CE and Anthony Perkins, BICSI

Why Every Business Needs a Structured Cabling System

A structured cabling system benefits businesses by giving you faster processing speeds and making your network more efficient and reliable.

notebook with password notes highlighted...

PC Laptops

How to Create Strong Passwords You Can Actually Remember

Learn how you can create strong passwords that are actually easy to remember! In a short time you can create new ones in seconds.

Study links even mild COVID-19 to changes in the brain