A recent article in the NY Times shares a new, large study that found COVID-19 infection causes a loss of gray matter and tissue damage. The individuals in the study “underwent brain scans both before they contracted Covid and months after” and found “shrinkage and tissue damage primarily in brain areas related to sense of smell; some of those areas are also involved in other brain functions.” Individuals who had had COVID-19 also showed “greater decline than uninfected people on a cognitive test related to attention and efficiency in performing a complex task.” The big question now is whether the negative brain outcomes from COVID-19 have future implications, like being more prone to developing dementia.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/07/health/covid-brain-changes.html