Mounting research shows that COVID-19 leaves its mark on the brain, including significant drops in IQ scores

The Journal of Science and the New England Journal of Medicine say long-COVID has led to not only brain fog, but also headaches, seizure disorders, strokes, sleep problems, and tingling and paralysis of the nerves.

Mark Sudol

•

Nov 19, 2024, 11:33 AM

•

Updated 7 days ago

Recent studies show that even mild COVID-19 can lead to the equivalent of 7 years of brain aging.

The Journal of Science and the New England Journal of Medicine say long-COVID has led to not only brain fog, but also headaches, seizure disorders, strokes, sleep problems, and tingling and paralysis of the nerves.

And severe COVID that requires hospitalization can cause damage equivalent to 20 years of aging.

Here are some of the most important studies to date documenting how COVID-19 affects brain health

Cognitive decline including memory problems.
Shrinkage of brain volume.
Prolonged inflammation of the brain.

The studies also found COVID triggers the fusion of brain cells. This effectively short-circuits brain electrical activity and compromises function.

They also found COVID can impair brain cells' ability to regenerate and can also disrupt the blood brain barrier, the shield that protects the nervous system.

The New England Journal of Medicine also found people with COVID had a 3 to 9 point loss of IQ.



Connecticut officials as of last month urged residents to get vaccinated and noted that about 15 to 20 people still die of COVID-19 every week.