Mild COVID can significantly shrink brain size, finds new research

Among numerous COVID ill-effects that have been uncovered in the last eighteen months, scientists have added a new one as they revealed that even a mild form of the virus can cause a shrink in brain size. According to a report in Live Science, observations by cognitive neuroscientist Jessica A. Bernard, from Texas A&M University brought this to light with her research team which studied the effects of the Coronavirus on the brain and body including ageing. 

COVID can shrink the size of gray matter

Citing an August 2021 study, Live Science reported that the researchers analysed a database that was based on brain changes of people who once experienced COVID in the past. Fortunately enough, the database named UK Biobank had brain scans of over 45,000 people that dated back to 2014. This chunk of data helped the researchers compare the brain condition of the same crowd before the pandemic and after they had caught the virus. The experts reportedly compared the people in two different phases based on age, sex, baseline test date, study location as well as health variables and socioeconomic status.

The results of the observation showed that the gray matter of the brain between the two periods were significantly different. Gray matter in the brain is made of neurons and is responsible for processing information. The study found that the thickness of frontal and temporal lobes, which consists of gray matter tissue, was reduced in size among those who contracted the virus as compared to those who hadn’t, as per Live Science. 

Although shrinking of the gray matters is expected as people age, but experts said that changes in the COVID-19 group were larger than normal. The point that stood out the most was that brain changes were independent of the Coronavirus’ severity, as changes in those who were severely sick were not much different than those who caught mild COVID-19. 

What does this shrinking signify?

The report in Live Science suggested that the brain regions that were impacted by COVID-19 are all linked to the olfactory bulb. This bulb is responsible for carrying smell-related signals from the nose to other brain regions. The experts revealed that the olfactory bulb is linked to the temporal lobe, a region that is mostly considered by experts in the context of ageing and Alzheimer's. As of now, the experts haven’t drawn any conclusion but are investigating the changes COVID can have on memory and brain overall.

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