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Mounting research shows that COVID-19 leaves its mark on the brain, including with significant drops in IQ scores (theconversation.com)

submitted 7 months ago by Bebo@literature.cafe to c/science@lemmy.world

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From the article:

"....two new studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine shed further light on the profound toll of COVID-19 on cognitive health." And in other studies cases "with mild to moderate COVID-19 showed significant prolonged inflammation of the brain and changes that are commensurate with seven years of brain aging."

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[-] frefi@lemmy.dbzer0.com 60 points 7 months ago

Autopsy studies of people who had severe COVID-19 but died months later from other causes showed that the virus was still present in brain tissue. This provides evidence that contrary to its name, SARS-CoV-2 is not only a respiratory virus, but it can also enter the brain in some individuals. But whether the persistence of the virus in brain tissue is driving some of the brain problems seen in people who have had COVID-19 is not yet clear.

Um, scary TIL...

I wonder if this compounds in any way for people who've been infected multiple times.

[-] Atelopus-zeteki@kbin.run 34 points 7 months ago

From the article: " Reinfection with the virus contributed an additional two-point loss in IQ, as compared with no reinfection." So yes, there can be a compounding. It's research like this that makes me want to keep my 'mask, handwash, neti washing, indoor air filtration, avoid crowds indoors, etc' policy in place. Sigh.

[-] frefi@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 7 months ago

Thank you, I must've missed that part 😅

I agree with you there.

I think a lot of people who don't care about the virus are the ones who should be the most concerned about these findings

[-] Atelopus-zeteki@kbin.run 3 points 7 months ago

I would have to agree. Alas, it's entirely possible that their loss of cognitive function, decreased I.Q., is preventing them from this sort of understanding.

[-] JudahBenHur@lemm.ee 1 points 7 months ago

they also started a good shuffle on over to the left of the mean

[-] xkforce@lemmy.world 12 points 7 months ago

I wonder if this compounds in any way for people who've been infected multiple times.

Yes it does. Every time someone gets infected, it does more damage. And a lot of that damage is essentially permanent. eg. damage to blood vessels, heart tissue etc.

[-] Tarquinn2049@lemmy.world 7 points 7 months ago

I know some people in my extended family that are up to their 6th or 7th time getting covid now. My anecdotal data suggests yes. It's hard to be sure, of course. There are so many reasons why they could seem even dumber now. But I like to hope it's mostly the physical damage done to their brains.

[-] asdfasdfasdf@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago

Not a doctor so may be a stupid question, but wouldn't the blood brain barrier protection stuff degrade or shut down when you die? Could it have leaked in after death?

[-] Boddhisatva@lemmy.world 3 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

One of the studies cited in the article found that COVID-19 damages (or can damage) the blood-brain barrier.

COVID-19 can also disrupt the blood brain barrier, the shield that protects the nervous system – which is the control and command center of our bodies – making it “leaky.” Studies using imaging to assess the brains of people hospitalized with COVID-19 showed disrupted or leaky blood brain barriers in those who experienced brain fog.

Considering the number of people who end up with "brain fog" this seems a likely way for it to enter the brain.

[-] acetanilide@lemmy.world 3 points 7 months ago

My understanding is it can happen while alive.

Here is an article explaining it: https://asm.org/Articles/2020/April/How-Pathogens-Penetrate-the-Blood-Brain-Barrier

[-] Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 54 points 7 months ago

The loss was between 3 and 9 IQ depending on the severity of your case of COVID. Subjectively I used to feel smarter, that's for damn sure.

[-] pearsaltchocolatebar@discuss.online 27 points 7 months ago

I don't think it's a decrease in IQ, but I definitely haven't been able to shake the brain fog from mine.

[-] Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 10 points 7 months ago

I've had a little fogginess for sure. I might give lions mane a try, I've heard good things

[-] Atelopus-zeteki@kbin.run -2 points 7 months ago

Think a moment on the connection between Gut and Brain. Consider, especially if your case of La 'Rona had GI symptoms and/or alterations in sleep patterns, using Prebiotics, e.g. Inulin, Green Banana Flour, and Probiotics (any live cultured foods that taste good to you, e.g. kimchi), the combination of which Pre + Pro = Synbiotics. Lions mane is also a beneficial nutraceutical / food. Exercise, tho' not of the extreme type, can also benefit cognition.

[-] ma1w4re@lemm.ee 2 points 7 months ago

Same, feels like I became ten times as dumb even though iq score didn't change much. It almost feels like language became harder to understand.

[-] ColonelPanic@lemm.ee 3 points 7 months ago

I definitely find it harder to think of words when I'm talking to people and it seems like something that came about after COVID. Also, I have a much shorter fuse now and seem to get annoyed almost randomly.

[-] iAmTheTot@kbin.social 15 points 7 months ago

Isn't IQ kinda bullshit, anyway?

[-] ted@sh.itjust.works 31 points 7 months ago

IQ is sort of bullshit, but it's a measurement.

Equating IQ to overall intelligence is fruitless. It's like asking the weather and only taking the temperature.

[-] UsernameIsTooLon@lemmy.world 22 points 7 months ago

As a psychologist, high IQ is whatever, but low IQ is good in attempting to understand some individual's behaviors or even classify kids into special ed classes for a cognitive learning deficiency.

[-] asdfasdfasdf@lemmy.world 4 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Did they ask the exact same questions as before? If they did, it would probably skew the results. If they didn't, it would also probably skew the results.

[-] excel@lemmy.megumin.org 1 points 7 months ago

If they ask the SAME question and you score still goes DOWN I’m gonna go ahead and call that “a bad sign”.

[-] NineMileTower@lemmy.world 14 points 7 months ago

Do other viruses do this too?

[-] snooggums@midwest.social 24 points 7 months ago

Yes.

There are of course varying levels of inflammation so some are going to be worse than others. There are also different contributing factors, like high fevers that can also impact the brain in addition to the swelling.

So not completely unique to covid, but the way that it happens with covid is the concerning part.

[-] kusivittula@sopuli.xyz 3 points 7 months ago

a few years ago i noticed that i was constantly hot. i always needed a fan even when others would need a sweater. doctors couldn't find a cause, so the only explanation i got was that some virus may have altered my hypothalamus. i'm back to normal now, took 3 years to normalize.

[-] SPRUNT@lemmy.world 8 points 7 months ago

America can't afford significant drops in IQ scores. Half the population is already at the same level as the humans in the old Planet Of The Apes movie.

[-] meco03211@lemmy.world 5 points 7 months ago

Taking a shot in the dark.

What specifically are they finding to say covid was found in the brain? Can they tell the difference between covid vs vaccine in whatever they find?

I have a Facebook "friend" running the "they found vaccine spike proteins in the brain" line, and "they said it would only stay in the deltoids". I'm imagining he confused the "vaccine should stay in the muscle" as opposed to the spike protein which I could see traveling with blood. As for finding it in the brain or heart, could we tell the difference? Would we?

[-] asdfasdfasdf@lemmy.world 16 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

COVID vaccines do not contain any COVID.

[-] meco03211@lemmy.world 4 points 7 months ago

Sure... but the "friend" is regurgitating that it's specifically the spike protein that was found in these areas. I can find plenty of articles about finding the spike protein in various parts of the body cause that happens with catching covid. I haven't found an article saying they've found spike proteins associated with the vaccine specifically. This is nowhere near convincing enough for him cause the evil gubment could suppress that or some stupid bullshit.

He also pushed the claim the infamous "they" said the "spike protein wouldn't leave the delts". For this I imagine it was the vaccine itself that wouldn't leave the muscle but that says nothing of the spike proteins induced by the vaccine.

So the overarching questions are of they can actually tell the difference in the spike proteins found in other parts of the body? If that's possible, is that something employed? I could see it being possible, but maybe not done normally for reasons (too expensive to just test for every time or no need to tell the difference). And lastly, was the claim ever pushed that the spike proteins in response to the vaccine wouldn't leave the arm/delt/muscle?