Do milder cases of COVID-19 infection produce changes in the brain? Severe cases of COVID-19 are known to be associated with abnormal changes in the brain. Using the UK Biobank, we ask whether COVID-19 can produce brain abnormalities in milder cases where a hospital visit is not necessary. The UK Biobank is a large-scale long-term project that contains genetic and health information from half a million people in the UK. Importantly, the UK Biobank was started before the pandemic, which allows us to compare the same individuals before and after they were infected with COVID-19. This makes it possible to better identify the effects of infection and enables us to show that even mild cases of COVID-19 are associated with a range of brain-related abnormalities. This includes a greater reduction in the size of the brain and a greater rate of cognitive decline. Overall, this provides important information about what happens to the brain following COVID-19, but it also highlights the importance of the UK Biobank as a tool for addressing key challenges that face society. Crucially, this includes future challenges that may be impossible to anticipate fully.
Douaud G, Lee S, Alfaro-Almagro F, Arthofer C, Wang C, McCarthy P, Lange F, Andersson JLR, Griffanti L, Duff E, Jbabdi S Taschler B, Keating P, Winkler AM, Collins R, Matthews PM, Allen N, Miller KL, Nichols TE, Smith SM (2022) SARS-CoV-2 is associated with changes in brain structure in UK Biobank. Nature 604:697-707 doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-04569-5
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UCL Ear Institute 