Treatments for COVID-19, including sedation, intubation and various medications, may also come with cognitive side effects. Everything from poor heart and lung function to the social isolation caused by COVID-19 can affect cognitive processes. While early studies don't show any correlation between severity of disease and long-hauler symptoms such as brain fog, it makes sense that a brain starving for oxygen is likely to become compromised. "Once the virus that causes COVID-19 reaches the olfactory bulb, it can travel long the olfactory pathways to other places in the brain. Kremen, director of the Neurobehavior Program at the Jona Goldrich Center for Alzheimer's and Memory Disorders. When these neurons are affected, the resulting condition-from coronavirus or any other virus-is anosmia," says Dr. "A virus can enter the nasal passages where it can then access nerves that lead into the brain. ![]() However, there may be a link between the condition and anosmia (losing the sense of smell and taste) during active infection. Scientists don't yet know who is likely to suffer from post-COVID-19 brain fog. It may be months before the data provides a clear picture of this post-COVID-19 "brain fog," but experts suspect that the stress of navigating COVID-19 coupled with the virus's physical toll on the body is resulting in a significant cognitive hit for a subset of patients. And a few are setting out to test cognitive training video games they hope will expand the reach of therapy. ![]() Rachel Zabner, an infectious disease specialist and co-director of Cedars-Sinai's COVID-19 Recovery Program along with Dr. As more and more people seek help to overcome their brain fog at clinics set up for postCOVID-19 care, researchers and physicians are turning to treatments developed for stroke and traumatic brain injuries. "What we're seeing with COVID-19 is similar to infectious complications we've seen with other viruses, such as SARS and H1N1," explains Dr. ![]() Wondering how a respiratory virus can lead to cognitive effects that last for weeks? It turns out, some sort of mental fallout after an infectious illness is not uncommon. Particularly concerning for doctors and patients alike are lingering side effects, such as memory loss, reduced attention and an inability to think straight. A full year has passed since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and the mind-boggling aftermath of the virus continues to confuse doctors and scientists. So far, Fong says, the most effective treatments for long COVID resemble those for physical brain injuries.
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