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8th March 2022
02:19pm GMT
Credit: UK Biobank - The perceived change between first and second MRI scans[/caption]
It was found that even after mild infections, the overall size of the participants' brain had shrunk slightly, with less grey matter in the regions related to smell and memory, specifically - hence people reporting side effects such as 'brain fog' and prolonged symptoms like loss of their olfactory senses.
The study's lead author Professor Gwenaelle Douaud and her team are still trying to determine how great an impact these lasting changes have on those affected and whether or not they are reversible. However, given what they already know about the brain's physiology, they remain positive.
"We need to bear in mind that the brain is really plastic - by that we mean it can heal itself - so there is a really good chance that, over time, the harmful effects of infection will ease," says Douaud; it is also unclear as to whether the associated cells die off and if variants cause these results.
As you can see, those tested experienced anywhere between 0.2 and 2 per cent shrinkage but the subject of what larger impacts a covid infection can have on the brain remains one that is still very much being investigated.
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