Older adults recovering from COVID-19 face a 58% higher risk of developing dementia compared to those uninfected, with rates peaking 12 months post-infection.

Study reviewed 11 studies, 940k cases, 6.8M controls.

“Cognitive deficits after COVID-19 associated with brain injury biomarkers and volume loss”

The study found that patients hospitalized with COVID-19, both with and without acute neurological complications, had worse cognitive scores than expected for their age, sex, and education level. These cognitive deficits were observed across all cognitive domains tested. The cognitive impairment was associated with increased levels of brain injury biomarkers in the blood and reduced volume of a specific brain region (the anterior cingulate cortex) on MRI scans. Factors like the severity of the initial COVID-19 illness and the presence of acute confusion (encephalopathy) were linked to the worst cognitive scores.

“If you’re not noticing the (obvious) cognitive impairment in practically everyone around you, it may be due to your own cognitive decline.

Or denial is rearing its ugly head once again.

Perhaps it’s easier for me considering my background, but honestly, it’s so bloody palpable.”

Long COVID is linked to reduced serotonin levels, which are driven by viral RNA-induced type I interferons (IFNs).

Peripheral serotonin deficiency impairs cognition by reducing vagal nerve signaling, affecting hippocampal responses and memory.

“The buddy from college I talk about every now and again.

He’s prolly 50 or so. He posted this a few days ago. He has already had a rough go of it, he has a daughter he is devoted to, and who loves him immensely.

I am as sad as I am angry. “

“Ugh. The more we learn about it, the uglier it looks.

This, again, speaks to my point about tail risk in an emergent situation: it’s at least as bad as it looks. It may be worse.

We are badly underestimating the consequences of delayed risk. It’s a reckless approach. (1/)”

“Worse, most people don’t even notice it has happened to themselves.

But I can tell you we who continue to mask and have many fewer COVID infections can see the growing cognitive damage in more and more people around us.

Memory problems, like recall and word finding delays. Weakness and fatigue and motor control impairment. Growing executive function and emotional regulation deficits.

More and more friends disables and forced out of work or school by Long COVID symptoms.

It’s scary to witness the broad societal decline, and dispiriting to see so many governments and Public Health agencies persist in minimizing the growing problem.”

“Can I reassert that with SARS-CoV-2 induced brain damage, it won’t be a lessening of intellect that you’ll be seeing first, but behavioural changes such as disinhibition, emotional lability, risk taking & impulsivity.

Frontal lobe damage impairs behavioural regulation.” Thread:

Covid itself causes cognitive impairment. From 2020, prior to Covid vaccination of any kind:

“In our cohort of COVID-19 patients neurologic manifestations were frequent, including cognitive impairment.”

A new paper in Cell, “Pioneering discovery and therapeutics at the brain-vascular-immune interface,” describes COVID-19 as a neurological disease alongside multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, stroke and traumatic brain injury.

“COVID-19 can accelerate progression of dementia and induce BBB disruption and inflammatory blood clots causally linked with neuroinflammation and neuronal loss.8 In neurodevelopmental disorders, prematurity and perinatal hypoxia that trigger brain hemorrhage and BBB disruption are risk factors for cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, and autism. Collectively, these risk factors highlight the interconnected vascular and immune triggers of neurological diseases.”

A 43% increase cognitive disabilities since 2019.

“This is tragic and horrifying. And it’s going to get progressively worse as we’re all systematically reinfected.”

Whoopi Goldberg, who just had her 4th COVID infection, joked about her post infection brain damage on TV.

“I’m just getting over COVID – again – and I can barely remember anybody’s name. There are times when I go for a word and it’s not there.”