Covid may cause changes in the brain, a new study finds.
Covid-19 can cause more gray matter loss and damage to brain tissue than normally occurs in people not infected with the virus. new research finds.
The study, published Monday in the journal Nature, is believed to be the first to involve people. Who had brain scans both before they contracted Covid and several months after? Neurological experts not involved in the study said it was valuable and unique. But cautioned that the effects of the changes are unclear and do not necessarily suggest. That people may have long-term damage or that the changes may greatly affect thinking, memory, or other functions. . functions. The study, involved people aged 51 to 81. Found shrinkage and tissue damage primarily in areas of the brain associated with smell. Some of these areas are also involved in other brain functions, the researchers say.
“To me,
This is pretty strong evidence that something is changing in the brains of this common group of people with Covid,” said Dr. Serena Spudich. Director of neurological infections and global neuroscience at the Yale School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study. study. But she warned: “To conclude that this has any long-term clinical implications for patients, I think, would be an exaggeration. We don’t want to scare the public into thinking, “Oh, this is proof that everyone will have brain damage and won’t be able to function.
