Coronavirus News Explained

COVID-19 and Changes in Brain Structure      Already, there has been strong evidence that COVID-19 infection can affect the brain as found by previous studies (See COVID-19 Affects the Brain ) and instances of neurological cognitive deficits demonstrated by COVID-19 patients over time. Over 80% of these neurological cases, however, occur in patients with severe cases of COVID-19 and much less is known about the neurological impact of COVID-19 infection in milder cases. A recent study, published on March 7, 2022 in the journal Nature , investigated brain changes in United Kingdom patients with mild and severe cases of COVID-19. About the Study      The study was conducted by a group of researchers from the University of Oxford aiming to answer the question of whether COVID-19 infection is associated with changes in brain structure. A total of 785 participants (data taken from UK Biobank) aged 51-81 participated in the study. All participants underwent two brain scans roughly three years