Long COVID is a lingering form of the original infection that may affect as many as a third of cases. Its symptoms vary, although tremors, extreme fatigue and problems with memory and thinking appear often. It’s becoming evident Long COVID memory loss is a concern because it could increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease too.
Could Long COVID Impact the Central Nervous System?
Researchers at University Texas Health in San Antonio have been investigating this possibility according to John Hamilton of NPR News. We understand they want to know why Long COVID cognitive problems persist, and whether this changes the brain.
They will present their findings at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. This begins Monday August 2, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. However, we have a quick overview of what we might expect the researchers to reveal.
1… Their positron emission tomography (PET) scans show changes that overlap those evident in Alzheimers.
2… The genes that appear to be common with Long COVID also increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
3… Alzheimer’s diagnoses also appear to be more common in patients in their 60s and 70s who have had severe COVID-19.
COVID Memory Loss Is a Concern with Loss of Smell Evident
The lead researcher is Dr. Gabriel de Erausquin, a professor of neurology at UT Health, San Antonio. He and his colleagues find mental problems more common in COVID-19 patients who lose their sense of smell. This could be because the disease affects the olfactory bulb in the brain.
This is a neural structure in the thinking fore-brain. It sends smell data for further processing to the amygdala, the orbito-frontal cortex, and the hippocampus that plays a role in emotion, memory, and learning.
Information keeps arriving on our desks how COVID-19 is more than ‘just influenza’. Having a full vaccine should protect us from becoming seriously ill with the infection. And be largely free of concern for Long COVID memory loss, and even Alzheimer’s too.
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Preview Image: Head with Olfactory Nerve
