Researchers see association between the cognitive decline observed in patients with severe COVID and molecular signatures of brain aging
In a series of experiments, scientists at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical found that patients with severe COVID-19 exhibit a drop in cognitive performance that mimics accelerated aging.
Primarily a respiratory disease, neurological symptoms have been described in many COVID-19 patients, including in recovered individuals. Patients report symptoms including brain fog or lack of focused thinking, memory loss, and depression.
The team’s analysis, published in Nature Aging, suggested that many biological pathways that change with natural aging in the brain also changed in patients with severe COVID-19.
