The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on brain activity have been named: even uninfected people were affected

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a “lasting impact” on the brain health of people aged 50 and older. A UK study found that cognitive function and working memory declined in older people even if they were not infected with the coronavirus.

Researchers have found that the pandemic has caused lasting harm to the brain health of people aged 50 and over, rapidly accelerating cognitive decline regardless of whether they were infected with Covid or not, writes The Guardian.

Nearly 780 million people have been killed or sickened by the coronavirus, according to the World Health Organization. Health experts are now learning more about the ripple effects of the biggest public health crisis in a century.

The study found that cognitive function and working memory declined faster in older adults during the first year of the pandemic between March 2020 and February 2021, even if they were not infected with the virus. This trend has continued into 2021/22, indicating impacts beyond the initial lockdowns.

The study is the largest of its kind to link pandemic conditions – and the huge lifestyle changes brought about by lockdowns and other Covid-related restrictions – to persistent cognitive decline.

The acceleration in cognitive decline has been exacerbated by a number of factors since the onset of Covid, researchers say. These included increased feelings of loneliness and depression, decreased physical activity and higher alcohol consumption, as well as the effects of the disease itself. The study, led by the University of Exeter and King’s College London, was published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity.

Anne Corbett, professor of dementia research and director of the Protect study at Exeter, said: “Our findings show that the lockdowns and other restrictions we have faced during the pandemic have had a real long-term impact on brain health in people aged 50 and over. , even after the quarantines are over. This raises the important question of whether people are at potentially higher risk of cognitive decline that can lead to dementia. It is now more important than ever to make sure we support people with early cognitive decline, especially as there are things they can do to reduce their risk of developing dementia later in life.” She advised people concerned about their memory to contact their GP.

“Our findings also highlight the need for policymakers to consider the broader health impacts of restrictions such as lockdowns when planning future responses to the pandemic,” she added.

Researchers analyzed brain function tests of 3,142 people who took part in the Protect study, which began in 2014, to gain insight into the brain function of people over 40 over a 25-year period. All respondents were aged between 50 and 90 years and lived in the UK. The tests analyzed participants’ short-term memory and their ability to perform complex tasks.

The study then analyzed all data collected over the year from March 2019 to February 2020 and compared it with results from the first year of the pandemic (March 2020 to February 2021) and the second year (March 2021 to February 2022). The analysis found that the rate of cognitive decline accelerated in the first year of the pandemic and was higher among those who were already showing signs of mild cognitive decline before the Covid-19 outbreak.

In a paper published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity, the researchers noted: “We found that people aged 50 years and over in the UK experienced accelerated declines in executive function and working memory during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, during which the UK was subjected to three social quarantines for a total of six months. Notably, however, this decline in working memory persisted into the second year of the pandemic, after social restrictions were eased. It is also noteworthy to note the magnitude of the changes: in all groups – the cohort as a whole and in individual subgroups – there was more than 50% greater decline in working memory and executive functions.”

Scientists cautioned the study was observational so could not prove cause and effect, but said increases in depression, loneliness and alcohol use, as well as declines in physical activity during Covid, were “well known”.

“There is therefore a clear need to consider these lifestyle changes as a public health priority, and based on the patterns of associations observed in the current study, we would hypothesize that interventions targeting these behaviors may benefit cognitive performance.”

Professor Dag Arsland, Professor of Geriatric Psychiatry at Queen’s University, said: “This study adds to knowledge about the long-term health consequences of Covid-19, particularly for vulnerable people such as older people with mild memory problems.”

Dr Dorina Kadar, senior lecturer in cognitive epidemiology and dementia at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, who was not involved in the study, said it was clear that the impact of the pandemic on the general population had been “catastrophic”.

“New findings from the Protect study indicate domain-specific cognitive changes in people with a history of Covid-19 that mirrored similar trajectories in those with mild cognitive impairment, but at a slightly slower rate of decline,” Kadar noted in a commentary linked to the journal. Lancet Healthy Longevity. “This study also highlights decreased physical activity, alcohol consumption, depression and loneliness as key risk factors that have influenced the rate of cognitive decline in older people during the Covid-19 pandemic.”