Subject: NATAP: COVID & the Brain

www.natap.org

Even mild COVID is hard on the brain

Publish date: March 7, 2023

FROM AAN 2023

Even mild cases of COVID-19 can affect the function and structure of the brain, early research suggests.

“Our results suggest a severe pattern of changes in how the brain communicates as well as its structure, mainly in people with anxiety and depression with long-COVID syndrome, which affects so many people,” study investigator Clarissa Yasuda, MD, PhD, from University of Campinas, São Paulo, said in a news release.

“The magnitude of these changes suggests that they could lead to problems with memory and thinking skills, so we need to be exploring holistic treatments even for people mildly affected by COVID-19,” Dr. Yasuda added.

The findings were released March 6 ahead of the study’s scheduled presentation at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.

Brain shrinkage

Some studies have shown a high prevalence of symptoms of anxiety and depression in COVID-19 survivors, but few have investigated the associated cerebral changes, Dr. Yasuda told this news organization.

The study included 254 adults (177 women, 77 men, median age 41 years) who had mild COVID-19 a median of 82 days earlier. A total of 102 had symptoms of both anxiety and depression, and 152 had no such symptoms.

On brain imaging, those with COVID-19 and anxiety and depression had atrophy in the limbic area of the brain, which plays a role in memory and emotional processing.

No shrinkage in this area was evident in people who had COVID-19 without anxiety and depression or in a healthy control group of individuals without COVID-19.

The researchers also observed a “severe” pattern of abnormal cerebral functional connectivity in those with COVID-19 and anxiety and depression. 

In this functional connectivity analysis, individuals with COVID-19 and anxiety and depression had widespread functional changes in each of the 12 networks assessed, while those with COVID-19 but without symptoms of anxiety and depression showed changes in only 5 networks.

Mechanisms unclear

“Unfortunately, the underpinning mechanisms associated with brain changes and neuropsychiatric dysfunction after COVID-19 infection are unclear,” Dr. Yasuda told this news organization.

“Some studies have demonstrated an association between symptoms of anxiety and depression with inflammation. However, we hypothesize that these cerebral alterations may result from a more complex interaction of social, psychological, and systemic stressors, including inflammation. It is indeed intriguing that such alterations are present in individuals who presented mild acute infection,” Dr. Yasuda added.

“Symptoms of anxiety and depression are frequently observed after COVID-19 and are part of long-COVID syndrome for some individuals. These symptoms require adequate treatment to improve the quality of life, cognition, and work capacity,” she said.

Treating these symptoms may induce “brain plasticity, which may result in some degree of gray matter increase and eventually prevent further structural and functional damage,” Dr. Yasuda said. 

A limitation of the study was that symptoms of anxiety and depression were self-reported, meaning people may have misjudged or misreported symptoms.

Commenting on the findings for this news organization, Cyrus Raji, MD, PhD, with the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University, St. Louis, said the idea that COVID-19 is bad for the brain isn’t new. Dr. Raji was not involved with the study.

Early in the pandemic, Dr. Raji and colleagues published a paper detailing COVID-19’s effects on the brain, and Dr. Raji followed it up with a TED talk on the subject.

“Within the growing framework of what we already know about COVID-19 infection and its adverse effects on the brain, this work incrementally adds to this knowledge by identifying functional and structural neuroimaging abnormalities related to anxiety and depression in persons suffering from COVID-19 infection,” Dr. Raji said.

The study was supported by the São Paulo Research Foundation. The authors have no relevant disclosures. Raji is a consultant for Brainreader, Apollo Health, Pacific Neuroscience Foundation, and Neurevolution LLC.

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I agree with George & Robert. This is far from over. WE got our last boosters in the Fall, so know what for 2023 ? At CROI there were 3 important presentations 1 - on new unbolted protease instead of Paxlovid, 3- inhaled anti-COVID therapy and 3 - perhaps most important a single injection of PegIFN Lambda within a few days could prevent COVID after infection.

There might be more variants to come. More waves. Plus Long COVID for those previously infected remains a very serious problem, we need therapies for that & Long Covid can have devastating longterm affects on cognitive function, and heart disease, and more.

I guess there are people on this list with long COVID ??

Jules

On Mar 14, 2023, at 7:24 AM, White Robert <rcwstl@...> wrote:

Always looking for anything new in the fight against COVID. For example, how soon to get my next vaccine booster for which an answer has not been determined. 

Nelson needs to ok this. 

On Mar 27, 2023, at 3:42 PM, Pozlover via groups.io <pozlover=aol.com@groups.io> wrote:



Jules, 

Please don't stop posting important COVID info. Those who wish not to read them can easily delete emails as Covid is mentioned in the subject line. We should not be penalized because a few don't want to read about Covid.

Alternately, Nelson can conduct a poll on this issue but as an administrator he can use his veto.

VJ

-----Original Message-----
From: Jules Levin <jules@...>
To: pozhealth@groups.io; rockovach@...
Cc: Infestdboy@...
Sent: Sun, Mar 26, 2023 8:57 am
Subject: Re: [pozhealth] Do we need daily posts in COVID?

Of course Edward is correct but until this is resolved and there is no criticism of COVID posts I will not post recent important COVID new info.

On Mar 18, 2023, at 11:24 AM, Stephen Kovacev <rockovach@...> wrote:



If I recall, this group originally was started to ameliorate the side-effects of lipodystrophy from the new Protease Inhibitor drugs? And was called Lipo something group?  It has morphed to our benefit.

As most of us on this list, I am older now and as a LTAS, two bouts of HPV throat cancer, I am scared about getting covid and what that would do to me short term and long. I am hoping to get back to the gym soon and have put it off this winter because of the fear of getting covid or any other aerosolized virus. The air filtration system and other things such as ultras violet light would be great against aerosolized pathogens. If the owner of the gym would spend the $$$ which is unlikely. Schools and other places would benefit from them too. But crapitlism is about making as much profit as you can and be damned if they will do anything or the government will help defer the cost. Okay I digress.

I still wear a mask in stores and other places. I will wear one when I go back to the gym. Thankfully, I live in lovely place to run-jog-walk, which has been my mode of getting back in-shape since the life changing cancer operation I had last July-ugh-and do not have to wear mask. But I will wear one I go back to the gym. Okay I digress again.

But I follow this site regardless if I need the information whether or not I need it. I NEED to know what is going on and kept up to date on as much as possible on anything that affects my wellbeing. And that includes Covid.

Peace & love

Marathon Man

Steve

 

If I may offer a possible compromise ...

 

I know that I trust that the information posted by Jules has been helpful to many of us, including those items relating to COVID ...

 

We have also seen some regular readers/commenters commenting that they are getting COVID-related-article fatigue - and I believe that Jules is aware of those opinions, and is willing to take them into consideration ... 
 
I would trust Jules' instincts such that future COVID-related posts from him are likely to be less frequent while being more important/relevant/current topical ... essentially, articles/studies that Jules, himself, finds interesting and relevant ...

 

And we each still have access to the three dots near the top right of each message or comment, which allows us to simply use "Delete this message" to delete any comment/response that we prefer not to see (or even an entire message) while retaining those comments/messages which we find interesting/useful ... 
 
Might this compromise allow each of us to be sorta-satisfied, while not constraining Jules to 'walk on eggshells' in what he posts ? 

On Mon, Mar 27, 2023 at 1:04 PM Jules Levin via groups.io <julev=aol.com@groups.io> wrote:

Nelson needs to ok this. 

On Mar 27, 2023, at 3:42 PM, Pozlover via groups.io <pozlover=aol.com@groups.io> wrote:



Jules, 

Please don't stop posting important COVID info. Those who wish not to read them can easily delete emails as Covid is mentioned in the subject line. We should not be penalized because a few don't want to read about Covid.

Alternately, Nelson can conduct a poll on this issue but as an administrator he can use his veto.

VJ

-----Original Message-----
From: Jules Levin <jules@...>
To: pozhealth@groups.io; rockovach@...
Cc: Infestdboy@...
Sent: Sun, Mar 26, 2023 8:57 am
Subject: Re: [pozhealth] Do we need daily posts in COVID?

Of course Edward is correct but until this is resolved and there is no criticism of COVID posts I will not post recent important COVID new info.

On Mar 18, 2023, at 11:24 AM, Stephen Kovacev <rockovach@...> wrote:



If I recall, this group originally was started to ameliorate the side-effects of lipodystrophy from the new Protease Inhibitor drugs? And was called Lipo something group?  It has morphed to our benefit.

As most of us on this list, I am older now and as a LTAS, two bouts of HPV throat cancer, I am scared about getting covid and what that would do to me short term and long. I am hoping to get back to the gym soon and have put it off this winter because of the fear of getting covid or any other aerosolized virus. The air filtration system and other things such as ultras violet light would be great against aerosolized pathogens. If the owner of the gym would spend the $$$ which is unlikely. Schools and other places would benefit from them too. But crapitlism is about making as much profit as you can and be damned if they will do anything or the government will help defer the cost. Okay I digress.

I still wear a mask in stores and other places. I will wear one when I go back to the gym. Thankfully, I live in lovely place to run-jog-walk, which has been my mode of getting back in-shape since the life changing cancer operation I had last July-ugh-and do not have to wear mask. But I will wear one I go back to the gym. Okay I digress again.

But I follow this site regardless if I need the information whether or not I need it. I NEED to know what is going on and kept up to date on as much as possible on anything that affects my wellbeing. And that includes Covid.

Peace & love

Marathon Man

Steve