Even a mild case of Covid-19 can damage the brain and addle thinking, according to a study.
Researchers have identified Covid-associated brain damage months after infection, including in the region linked to smell, and shrinkage in size equivalent to as much as a decade of normal aging.
Neuroscientist Gwenaelle Douaud, who investigated changes in the brain with her colleagues leveraging the world’s largest MRI database, said the size of the changes on individual scans were “subtle” and not visible to the naked eye. More research is needed to gauge duration of the virus’s impact and whether the effects can be partially reversed, she added.
