Not long after the COVID-19 crisis began, medical professionals began to notice that COVID can cause neurological issues, from an inability to taste to “brain fog” and more. Now, 18 months into the pandemic, scientists are raising the alarm on this troubling side effect. The National Institutes of Health estimates that as many as 30% of COVID-19 patients experience some sort of neurological or psychiatric symptom—many as “long haul” side effects. Other studies show even higher numbers. And many of these people had mild or moderate cases of COVID, not requiring hospitalization. For some, these neurological challenges have been devastating, resulting in an inability to work or otherwise participate in normal life. Take Michele Crippa, a pre-eminent food reviewer and super taster, as one example. COVID took away his ability to smell, and with it, his ability to accurately discern tastes. Several months and a lot of hard work later, his palate has improved, but is not yet back to where it had been. (You can read his story—and that of others who have lost their sense of smell—here.) Others have lasting short-term memory loss, an inability to sustain attention, and other cognitive issues—all of which can make it hard to function in daily life. (There’s a great article in National Geographic about the current state of research into the neurological issues caused by COVID-19; you can find it here.) Of course, many people recover from these cognitive issues over time—and the hope is that everyone will. In the meantime, this research gives us all just one more reason to stay as safe as possible during this resurgence of COVID-19. |
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Wishing you good health, Jeff Zimman Co-founder Posit Science |
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| | Keep Working for Better Cognitive Function Retiring early is appealing in many ways—but it may not be the best choice for your brain. A recent examination of 20,000 people suggests that those who keep working later in life experience less cognitive decline than those who stop working earlier. (Of course, there are many ways to keep your brain active and healthy in retirement—you just have to do them!) Learn more about this research. |
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The Best Social Interaction for Cognitive Health? You’ve probably heard that having social connections with friends and family is important for long-term brain health. New research suggests that having people in your life who are good listeners may be most important of all—more so than getting advice, emotional support, or affection. Find out why that might be the case. |
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How Decision-Making Is Affected by Anxiety, Addiction, and Other Psychiatric Disorders People make worse decisions when in a heightened state of “arousal”—a racing heart, jumping blood pressure, and shallower breaths, often as a result of anxiety, addiction, or another disorder. But why? Recent research shows that the decision-making centers of the brain include neurons whose job it is to monitor what is happening inside the body. When we are in too high a state of arousal, more neurons are recruited to monitor the body, essentially hijacking the ability to make good decisions. Learn more. |
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Experiencing Rape Can Create Memory Lapses Victims of rape often can’t remember the details of their assault shortly after it happens. And that can create problematic relationships with law officers who don’t understand the neuroscience of trauma. Experiencing any serious trauma can trigger a “defense circuitry” in the brain as a survival mechanism—and it affects how the brain takes in the event. While many law officers are suspicious of people who can’t remember specific details of their attack—often creating a new crisis for survivors—others are working to educate law enforcement for better outcomes. Learn more. |
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What If Mainstream Science Is Wrong on Alzheimer’s? For decades, scientists have believed that Alzheimer’s is caused by amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain. Many of the medicinal interventions that have been tested target those plaques and tangles, but none has proven particularly effective. What if the entire premise is wrong? Read this opinion article from Scientific American for an alternative perspective. |
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A Sense of Self: Memory, the Brain, and Who We Are (2021) By Veronica O’Keane As psychiatrist and neuroscientist Veronica O’Keane elucidates in her new book, A Sense of Self, our memories are created from our sensory experiences: what we see, hear, taste, smell, and otherwise feel. Of course, these experiences don’t start out as memories, but some become preserved, accurately or inaccurately, in a way that allows us to re-experience them. And these memories are the cornerstone of our self-construction. A beautiful book executed with scientific rigor, A Sense of Self is a welcome addition to the literature of memory. Learn more or buy. |
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