New Study Shows Link , Between COVID , and Brain Damage.<br />According to a new British study, even mild cases of COVID-19 <br />are associated with subtle tissue damage and increased <br />losses in brain regions tied to the sense of smell. .<br />NBC reports the study also found <br />evidence of a small loss in the brain's overall <br />volume and a deficit in cognitive function. .<br />The study, conducted by the University <br />of Oxford, is the first investigation <br />into COVID's impact on the brain. .<br />Researchers looked at brain scans from before and after participants contracted the coronavirus. .<br />The paper's lead author, Gwenaëlle Douaud, <br />says that the loss of brain volume was <br />equivalent to one extra year of regular aging. .<br />It is brain damage, but it is possible <br />that it is reversible. But it is still <br />relatively scary because it was <br />in mildly infected people, Gwenaëlle Douaud, associate professor at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences at Oxford, via NBC.<br />When compared to a control group, participants who had COVID-19 showed an additional 0.2% to 2% loss of brain tissue in specific regions of the brain. .<br />Those regions are associated with the sense of smell, including the parahippocampal gyrus, the orbitofrontal cortex and the insula.<br />NBC reports that the study found participants demonstrated a slower ability to process information and manage complex tasks. .<br />Dr. Avindra Nath, clinical director of the National Institute <br />of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the National <br />Institutes of Health, said that these findings , “have long-term implications"...<br />... since we would be concerned about the <br />possibility of similar cognitive dysfunction <br />in a large population worldwide. It needs <br />to be determined if these patients could <br />further deteriorate over a period of time, Dr. Avindra Nath, clinical director of the National Institute <br />of Neurological Disorders and Stroke <br />at the National Institutes of Health, via NBC
