3 Ways Long COVID is Changing the Brain
If anything has changed since early 2020 in our culture, it is that we have grown to expect the unexpected. COVID has thrown a wrench in all our lives, and even as the pandemic eases, many individuals are still feeling its effects. Long COVID continues to impact thousands of individuals. In particular, more research is pointing to cognitive and brain changes as a result of infection.
3 Ways Long COVID Affects the Brain:
A majority of people who report COVID-related cognitive issues are not in the senior age bracket like you’d expect. Instead, the 20-50 year old demographic tend to experience lasting cognitive changes more frequently. Here’s what recent studies show:
1. 20 to 30 percent of patients report brain fog three months after their initial infection, as do 65 to 85 percent of the long-haulers who stay sick for much longer.
Brain fog is a somewhat elusive term as everyone experiences it differently, but for long COVID sufferers, it includes:
- Poor concentration
- Inability to recall what you’re doing mid-task
- Easily getting distracted
- Low stamina and tolerance for work
- Memory loss
- Weak executive function, including planning and organization
Individuals with COVID-related brain fog are struggling to show up to work, school, and life because of these lasting cognitive effects.
2. Even mild infections show reduced brain size and thickness of gray matter. These changes are comparable to a decade of aging.
Research indicates that COVID turns on inflammation and affects neurological pathways even long after active infection. Studies show that this happens even with mild infections, where individuals are not hospitalized or experiencing severe symptoms.
As one article puts it, “It’s like a rock weighing down on the accelerator of a car, spinning its engine out of control. All of this causes injury to many cells, including neurons.”
Another study isolated the main regions affected by these changes, and they included the frontal cortex and limbic system. While we do not know exactly why or how COVID infection alters brain structure in these areas, the effects are life-altering for many individuals. These areas of the brain regulate emotional stability, memory, planning, executive function, and so much more, so any changes are going to have lasting effects.
3. Some research points to a connection between COVID infection and new onset of Alzheimer’s.
In one study, for every 1,000 seniors with COVID, seven will be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in a year (which is slightly higher than the typical 5/1,000 rate).
What’s Next?
While we do not know exactly how the brain will recover from these infections (only time will tell), the good news is this: neuroplasticity and the ability of the brain to build new neural connections is foundational in your biology.
Improving focus, memory, and thinking skills is not a new thing, even though this need for it is so new and unknown. If you or someone you know is struggling with COVID-related cognitive issues, don’t hesitate to reach out to us to learn how brain training addresses these foundational cognitive skills!
A Personal Story from a Client with COVID-Related Cognitive Issues
Check out what Judi, a client from Charlottesville, VA had to share about her experience:
“Following a hospital stay for long Covid, I became aware that LearningRx was offering a program to help clients that had experienced this disease. I enrolled! The program was creative, and I actually enjoyed the cognitive challenge of each session as I advanced through the skills .
“Following this program I feel that I am now much more productive than I used to be and it’s easier to adjust to changes in routines. I am much appreciative of the support I received from all of the staff at this facility and especially that of my personal facilitator, Ana, who I can’t thank enough for her support, intelligence and creativity in helping me through some of the skill sets. It was truly enjoyable working with her and the other staff members.
“I feel that this program was most helpful in my return to what feels like my normal productive baseline self.”
