Even mild Covid is linked to brain damage, scans show

[TheProle]

Source: NBC News

During at least the first few months following a coronavirus infection, even mild cases of Covid-19 are associated with subtle tissue damage and accelerated losses in brain regions tied to the sense of smell, as well as a small loss in the brain’s overall volume, a new British study finds. Having mild Covid is also associated with a cognitive function deficit.

These are the striking findings of the new study led by University of Oxford investigators, one that leading Covid researchers consider particularly important because it is the first study of the disease’s potential impact on the brain that is based on brain scans taken both before and after participants contracted the coronavirus.

“This study design overcomes some of the major limitations of most brain-related studies of Covid-19 to date, which rely on analysis and interpretation at a single time point in people who had Covid-19,” said Dr. Serena S. Spudich, a neurologist at the Yale University School of Medicine, who was not involved in the research.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/long-covid-even-mild-covid-linked-damage-brain-months-infection-rcna18959

[LT Barclay]

1. I had a mild case and weeks later still have

Less energy and less motivation

[moreland01]

2. As if red state republicans

can stand to lose anymore brain cells.

[h2ebits]

3. Here's the full link:

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/long-covid-even-mild-covid-linked-damage-brain-months-infection-rcna18959

[TheProle]

4. Thank you

I flubbed the link and the source fields. Corrected now.

Thanks again.

[Red Pest]

6. You beat me to it, but here is the link to the original article

[link:https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04569-5|]

A Note from the editors of Nature:

We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.

Abstract:

There is strong evidence for brain-related abnormalities in COVID-191–13. It remains unknown however whether the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection can be detected in milder cases, and whether this can reveal possible mechanisms contributing to brain pathology. Here, we investigated brain changes in 785 UK Biobank participants (aged 51–81) imaged twice, including 401 cases who tested positive for infection with SARS-CoV-2 between their two scans, with 141 days on average separating their diagnosis and second scan, and 384 controls. The availability of pre-infection imaging data reduces the likelihood of pre-existing risk factors being misinterpreted as disease effects. We identified significant longitudinal effects when comparing the two groups, including: (i) greater reduction in grey matter thickness and tissue-contrast in the orbitofrontal cortex and parahippocampal gyrus, (ii) greater changes in markers of tissue damage in regions functionally-connected to the primary olfactory cortex, and (iii) greater reduction in global brain size. The infected participants also showed on average larger cognitive decline between the two timepoints. Importantly, these imaging and cognitive longitudinal effects were still seen after excluding the 15 cases who had been hospitalised. These mainly limbic brain imaging results may be the in vivo hallmarks of a degenerative spread of the disease via olfactory pathways, of neuroinflammatory events, or of the loss of sensory input due to anosmia. Whether this deleterious impact can be partially reversed, or whether these effects will persist in the long term, remains to be investigated with additional follow up.

[h2ebits]

7. Wow. Thanks for the actual article at Nature.com

[BlueWavePsych]

9. Thanks!

... and WELCOME to DU

[SunSeeker]

14. Fucking scary. Were any of these people vaccinated prior to infection?

I really hope vaccines prevent this sort of damage.

[Red Pest]

17. If I recall correctly, these were patients who were infected prior to the availability of vaccines.

It will be interesting to do a follow-up study to determine whether prior vaccination protects against this outcome and whether this correlates to vaccine dosage (1, 2, or 3 doses).

[SunSeeker]

24. Yes, those are the studies I really want to see.

I suspect we will find that vaccines protect you from long covid and these lingering neurological effects.

[Ms. Toad]

31. My employee has significant mental deficits after a mild case.

She was vaccinated and boosted.

She's participating in a long COVID study.

I don't know if my spouse has COVID, but her executive functioning has taken a significant nose dive since about the time our daughter (living at home) had the omicron version of COVID. My current suspicion is that she has an asymptomatic case. (Her mild cognitive impairment has been stable for years, but has declined enough that I'm considering whehter it is worth it to fight to see her neurologist privately. The prior neurologist refused to have private consultations with family members - so anything I shared about my observations was taken as an attack and just created family tension. (Best practices for MCI/dementia is to separately check in with family members so the neurologist gets an independent view without creating the kind of drama having a loved one discuss deficits they cannot see/don't believe exist in their presence.) My spouse is also vaccinated and boosted.

[SunSeeker]

32. Fuck.

[SheltieLover]

5. Great reason to stop masking as BA.2 ramps up

[Evolve Dammit]

18. Right? We seem to just be clueless sometimes. "Americans will always do the right thing, after

exhausting all other options." Churchill (from memory; forgive me if not quite exact). I'm not even sure that is right sometimes. Katrina was the first time I was appalled. Then the Iraq invasion, who didn't attack us. I missed Vietnam by a few years, another huge mistake.

[SheltieLover]

20. And to keep repeating the same error & expecting different results...

Well, I'm sure you know what Einstein had to say about this behavior.

[Evolve Dammit]

21. it really does feel like insanity. Like waiting for Orange Boy to be held accountable for ANYTHING??

Sorry for yelling, but damm what does it take?? Or the folks that almost pulled off a COUP??

[SheltieLover]

22. Yes, it does!

But I have a good gut feeling about them all going down. I feel it will take us all by surprise.

But it is truly insane that many insurrectionists have been left in positions of power in our govt!

[Evolve Dammit]

26. I'll never forget Colbert's roasting of W trusting his gut in the Press Correspondent's dinner! Hope

your gut is accurate!

[SheltieLover]

27. I'm hoping so too!

Cognitively, I expect nothing, but this gut feeling... 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞

[Evolve Dammit]

28. I had the same feel with Fitzpatrick and Mueller. Think it was just gas pains though after results.

[SunSeeker]

25. I'm still masking in stores and other indoor public places.

It's such an easy, smart and effective precaution, especially now that we have readily available N95 and KN95 masks.

[C Moon]

8. Remember: tfg had a pretty bad case of COVID

[AZLD4Candidate]

11. Brain damage implies he has one. There has been no evidence of that found yet

If COVID causes damage to one's a-hole, then we've see lots.

[Strelnikov_]

15. Nothin' from nothin' leaves nothin' . . .

[Evolve Dammit]

19. Gotta have somethin' if you want to stay with me.... Classic! Not sure what I have left these days

Soldier in the war on poverty?

[milestogo]

10. What a terrible disease.

[IronLionZion]

12. Best of luck to the folks going for natural immunity

[ffr]

13. We might want to test for that at voter registration.

Prospective voter: If your brain doesn't work properly, sorry, you're not an ideal candidate to select what's best for our democracy. Please step aside so that democracy doesn't become Idiocracy.

[appalachiablue]

29. ++

[myohmy2]

16. I knew it...

...this explains a lot...

...of course, you have to have a brain...

...

[paleotn]

23. With magats, how could we tell?

[appalachiablue]

30. +1 !!