COVID-19 Can Leave a Lasting Mark on the Brain—Especially for Older People

COVID-19 no longer poses the urgent public-health threat it once did. But recent research points to a good reason to keep the virus in mind: it could leave a lasting stamp on yours.

Studies suggest that COVID-19 is associated with possibly long-lasting changes to the brain, potentially contributing to cognitive problems like brain fog, mental fatigue, and memory loss, as well as neurological and mental-health issues. The virus seems able to damage blood vessels and support cells in the brain and may kickstart changes to the immune system that also affect brain function, says Dr. Wes Ely, co-director of the Center for Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction, and Survivorship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Read more at TIME Magazine.