In Brazil, scientists from the State University of Campinas (Unicamp) discovered that even mild cases of covid-19 can cause neurological changes in some patients, reducing the size of some regions of the brain and changing brain communication after three months of the disease. In addition, individuals with long-term covid report anxiety and depression.
“There is still much to learn about the long covid, which includes a wide range of health problems, including anxiety and depression, months after infection”, points out Clarissa Yasuda, one of the authors of the study and a researcher at Unicamp, in a statement. In this context, “our findings are worrying, as even people with mild cases of covid-19 show changes in their brains months later. [da infecção]”, he adds.
The discovery by the group of Brazilian scientists joins other emerging evidence on the impact of long-term covid on the human body. Recently, a British study linked post-covid syndrome with lasting damage to different organs, including the liver and heart.
How does long covid modify the brain and can it cause anxiety and depression?
The study on the impacts of long-term covid on the brain involved 254 people infected with the covid-19 virus at least three months before the start of the study. All participants developed mild symptoms or had the disease asymptomatically. The average age of individuals is 41 years.
Of the total number of volunteers, 102 people reported experiencing symptoms characteristic of anxiety and depression. Here, it is important to note that these individuals did not obtain a psychiatric report for these disorders. Meanwhile, the other 152 people did not show any of the two symptoms, as characteristics of long-term covid.
Brain scans in the long covid patients
After answering the mental health questionnaires, the participants underwent a brain scan, with the aim of detecting possible changes in the gray matter of the brain. According to the authors, 148 of 152 patients who reported anxiety and depression had shrinkage in the limbic area of the brain, which plays a role in memory and emotional processing. In the group without these symptoms, no change was captured.
Next, they looked at brain function and possible changes in connectivity – in other words, the way different areas of the brain communicate. Among people with symptoms of anxiety and depression, numerous connectivity changes were detected. This number was significantly reduced in asymptomatic people.
“The magnitude of these changes suggests they may develop memory problems and [redução] in thinking skills, so we need to explore holistic treatments, even for people mildly affected by covid-19”, guides scientists Yasuda.
It is worth noting that, to date, the complete study has not yet been published in any scientific journal. The work, which was funded by the State of São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), will be presented for the first time at the Academy’s 75th Annual Meeting, scheduled for April.
Source: AAN