Dr. Vahram Haroutunian holds a human brain in a brain bank in the Borough of the Bronx in New York City
London:
People recovering from COVID-19 can experience significant impacts on brain function, with the worst cases of infection linked to mental decline equivalent to 10-year brain aging, researchers warned Tuesday.
An unpaired peer-reviewed study of more than 84,000 people, led by Adam Hampshire, a physician at Imperial College London, found that in some severe cases, coronavirus infection is linked to significant cognitive deficits for long periods of time. month.
“Our analyzes … align with the view that there are chronic cognitive consequences of COVID-19,” the researchers wrote in a report on their findings. “People who recovered, including those who were no longer reporting symptoms, had significant cognitive deficits.”
Cognitive tests measure how well the brain performs tasks – like remembering words or joining dots on a puzzle. These tests are widely used to assess brain performance in diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and can also help doctors assess temporary brain impairments.
The Hampshire team analyzed the results of 84,285 people who completed a study called the Great British Intelligence Test. The results, which have yet to be reviewed by other experts, were posted online on the MedRxiv website.
Cognitive deficits were “of substantial effect size”, especially in people who had been hospitalized for COVID-19, researchers said, with worst cases showing impacts “equivalent to the 10-year average decline in performance world between the ages of 20. to 70 “.
Scientists not directly involved in the study, however, said its results should be viewed with some caution.
“Participants’ cognitive function was not known before COVID, and the results do not reflect long-term recovery either – so any effect on cognition may be short-term,” said Joanna Wardlaw, professor of neuroimaging applied at the University of Edinburgh.
Derek Hill, professor of medical imaging science at University College London, also noted that the study results could not be entirely reliable because they did not compare scores before and after, and involved a large number of people who reported having had COVID. -19, who did not test positive.
“Overall (this is) an intriguing but inconclusive piece of research into the effect of COVID on the brain,” Hill said.
“As researchers seek to better understand the long-term impact of COVID, it will be important to further investigate to what extent cognition is affected in the weeks and months following infection, and whether permanent damage to brain function occur in some people. “
(This story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
