Novel Coronavirus May Accelerate Brain Shrinkage

Novel coronavirus research at the University of Oxford, published in Nature, suggests that the new coronavirus virus may cause brain shrinkage, Reuters reported. The study involved 785 people, aged 51-81, who underwent two brain scans, an average of 141 days apart, according to the report. Of these, 401 were infected with novel Coronavirus during this period. Compared with the novel Coronavirus, the researchers found that the reduction in gray matter and tissue damage in the brain caused by the Novel Coronavirus is likely to be greater than that seen naturally in uninfected people, with COVID-19 patients losing an additional 0.2-2% of their gray matter between scans and tissue damage in brain regions associated with smell. The study also found that some COVID-19 patients also experience conditions including decreased attention, concentration, information processing speed and impaired memory. Whether these effects can be partially reversed, or whether they persist in the long term, needs further investigation, the researchers said.