![]() Previous research has suggested that exposure to certain viruses, including herpes, can trigger an immune response in the brain that may set the stage for Alzheimer's. Studies of people who have had COVID-19 may help scientists understand the role infections play in Alzheimer's and other brain diseases. It may take a decade to know whether these people are more likely than uninfected people to develop Alzheimer's in their 60s and 70s, Seshadri says. alone, millions of people have developed persistent cognitive or mood problems after getting COVID-19. "Even if the effect is small, it's something we're going to have to factor in because the population is quite large," she says. The possibility that COVID-19 might increase the risk of Alzheimer's is alarming, Seshadri says. Sudha Seshadri, founding director of the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio. But the true answer is we don't know."Īnother scientist who will present research at the Alzheimer's conference is Dr. "And the expectation is that it may behave as Alzheimer's behaves, in a progressive fashion. "Those people look really bad right now," de Erausquin says. Short Wave How COVID-19 Affects The Brain "Persistent lack of smell, it's associated with brain changes not just in the olfactory bulb but those places that are connected one way or another to the smell sense," he says. A loss of smell can signal troubleĪnd de Erausquin and his colleagues have noticed that mental problems seem to be more common in COVID-19 patients who lose their sense of smell, perhaps because the disease has affected a brain area called the olfactory bulb. Gabriel de Erausquin, a professor of neurology at UT Health San Antonio. ![]() And genetic studies are finding that some of the same genes that increase a person's risk for getting severe COVID-19 also increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's.Īlzheimer's diagnoses also appear to be more common in patients in their 60s and 70s who have had severe COVID-19, says Dr. What scientists have found so far is concerning.įor example, PET scans taken before and after a person develops COVID-19 suggest that the infection can cause changes that overlap those seen in Alzheimer's. The San Antonio researchers are among the teams of scientists from around the world who will present their findings on how COVID-19 affects the brain at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference, which begins Monday in Denver. Now, researchers at UT Health San Antonio are studying patients like Hernandez, trying to understand why their cognitive problems persist and whether their brains have been changed in ways that elevate the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's researchers sharing findings on COVID-19 "I would literally fall asleep if I was having a conversation or doing anything that involved my brain," she says. Hernandez would go on to spend two weeks in the hospital and months at home disabled by symptoms including tremors, extreme fatigue and problems with memory and thinking. The loss of taste and smell can be an early sign that COVID-19 is affecting a brain area that helps us sense odors. "I went home after working a 12-hour shift and sat down to eat a pint of ice cream with my husband and I couldn't taste it," she says. Then, in June 2020, COVID-19 struck Hernandez and several others in her unit at a large hospital in San Antonio. "I work with surgeons and my memory was sharp." Doctors are now investigating whether people with lingering cognitive symptoms may be at risk for dementia.īefore she got COVID-19, Cassandra Hernandez, 38, was in great shape - both physically and mentally. Schultz discusses "brain fog" and patients recovering from COVID-19.Medical staff members check on a patient in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston last November. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to develop rehabilitation programs to help patients recover. Schultz says brain fog seems to be more inflammatory than infection, but there are more questions than answers about this neurological concern. Billie Schultz, a Mayo Clinic physical medicine and rehabilitation expert, says, though older patients more often to have these symptoms more often, younger people are also showing up with brain fog. ![]() Those suffering from brain fog may experience short-term memory loss, confusion, difficulty concentrating, or just feeling different than they did before they had COVID-19, even if it was a mild case of the infection.Īnd Dr. The National Institutes of Health calls these and other symptoms, which can last for several months, post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2, or PASC. Fatigue and what's being called "brain fog" are turning out to be some of the most common issues for long-hauler patients recovering from COVID-19.
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