According to the results of a study conducted at the University of Oxford, COVID-19 can cause brain shrinkage, gray matter that governs emotion and memory, and damage to the sense of smell.
Experts conducting the research state that brain damage can also be observed in those who are infected with the Corona virus but are not treated in hospital. It is not yet known whether the damage to the brain caused by COVID-19 is long-term or whether it can be repaired.
In the report published in the scientific journal Nature, it is stated that ‘brain shrinkage’ between 0.2 percent and 2 percent has been detected in people with a decline in brain functions after COVID-19.
In the study, conducted in England during the period when the Alpha variant was dominant, the brains of 785 people aged 51-81 were scanned twice. Among them, 401 participants contracted COVID-19 between two scans, with an average of 141 days apart.
It has also been revealed in previous studies that those who have caught COVID-19 have health problems such as mental confusion, difficulty focusing, distraction and memory loss. However, in these latest research results published, experts underlined that there is “strong evidence of the occurrence of brain abnormalities associated with COVID-19.”
The report did not share any details about whether Corona vaccines have any effect on the damage that the virus can cause in the brain.
British health officials state that the findings of 15 studies indicate that ‘Longer COVID’ symptoms are more common in unvaccinated people compared to unvaccinated people.