Since the pandemic began in 2020, we have been learning more and more about the short-term and long-term effects of COVID-19. The findings of the link between COVID and the brain are increasingly alarming. New brain imaging research from the University of Oxford shows that having COVID—even mild cases that don’t require hospitalization—can damage the brain in multiple ways. This new British study in the journal Nature joins a growing body of emerging research showing that the infection can lead to something referred to as “COVID-Brain.”
At Amen Clinics, before-and-after brain SPECT scans of patients with COVID reveal additional harmful changes in the brain. Based on the latest findings, here are 7 ways COVID negatively impacts the brain.
New brain imaging research shows that having COVID—even mild cases that don’t require hospitalization—can damage the brain in multiple ways.
Before COVID: Normal Active SPECT ScanAfter COVID: Active SPECT Scan Showing Increased Limbic Activity
7 WAYS COVID HARMS THE BRAIN
1. Brain shrinkage.
For the British study, 785 volunteers underwent MRI brain scans prior to the pandemic. When they were rescanned, an average of 38 months later, 401 of the individuals had received positive results from a COVID test. The brain imaging results of these participants were compared to the 300-plus who had not tested positive for the virus. One of the biggest surprises to researchers was a decrease in brain volume. Compared to those who weren’t infected, the COVID group had 0.2% to 2% more shrinkage. When it comes to the brain, size matters!
2. Up to a decade of brain aging.
According to UK researchers, a 2% reduction in brain volume is equivalent to roughly 10 years of aging. Nobody wants a brain that looks older than it should.
3. The cerebellum takes a hit.
The shrinkage seen in the brain in the Nature study was in part due to loss of volume in the cerebellum, an area located at the back, bottom of the brain. The cerebellum is involved in motor coordination as well as thought coordination. It is essential for processing complex information and is involved in processing speed. When the cerebellum is low in activity, people are more likely to be clumsy and to have difficulty solving complex problems. They process their thoughts more slowly and tend to get confused more often than those with healthy cerebellum activity. In the British study, the participants who had COVID experienced come cognitive decline.
4. Thinning in certain brain regions.
Findings from this brain imaging research showed a loss of thickness in two key areas of the brain involved that are involved in the sense of smell—the orbitofrontal cortex and parahippocampal gyrus. One of the common symptoms of COVID is anosmia or the loss of the ability to smell. Anosmia is also an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
5. Even mild COVID cases cause brain changes.
People whose COVID symptoms are mild enough that they don’t require hospitalization are at risk for harmful impacts on the brain. Of the 401 participants in the British study who tested positive for COVID in the study, only 15 were hospitalized.
6. Bigger impact in older adults.
The participants in the Nature study ranged in age from 51-81 years old. The brain imaging results revealed that the negative effects of COVID on the brain were evident in all age ranges but were more pronounced in the elderly.
7. Overactivity in the brain’s emotional centers.
At Amen Clinics, before-and-after COVID brain SPECT scans show heightened activity in the limbic system, which is the brain’s emotional center. Too much activity here is linked to an increased risk for depression and negativity.
HEALING A DAMAGED BRAIN
Although emerging research reveals how COVID can harm that important organ inside your head, it’s important to remember about neuroplasticity. This means the human brain can change, and if you put it in a healing environment, it can improve. That is the fundamental finding from analyzing over 300,000 brain SPECT scans at Amen Clinics—you can change your brain and change your life. Even if you get COVID and experience brain-related symptoms it is possible to make strides back to greater health and well-being.
Symptoms associated with long COVID and other mental health issues can’t wait. At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, clinical evaluations, and therapy for adults, teens, children, and couples.Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834or visit our contact page here.
