The scans were taken before infection and about 4.5 months following infection.
These differences were found mainly in the areas of the brain that deal with our sense of smell.
The scans also revealed that overall brain size decreased in participants who’d been infected, as well.
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These findings were more prominent in older participants.
“All these negative effects were more marked at older ages.
The data used for the study was collected from a government health database, the UK Biobank.
Participants, whose ages fell between 51-81, underwent two brain scans about 38 months apart.
The scan taken prior to infection has special significance, said senior study author Stephen Smith in a release.
While these findings are important, the long-term effects of Covid-19 are still unknown and further research is necessary.
Long-term effects of the virus are yet to be fully understood.
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