Catching COVID-19 can cause changes to the brain.
Catching coronavirus can cause changes to the brain
A new study has revealed that scientists have found significant differences in MRI scans before and after infection.
Even after a mild case of coronavirus, the overall size of the brain had shrunk somewhat - with less grey matter in the parts relating to smell and memory.
The researchers are unsure whether the changes are permanent.
The study's lead author Professor Gwenaelle Douaud, from the University of Oxford, said: "We were looking at essentially mild infection, so to see that we could really see some differences in their brain and how much their brain had changed compared with those who had not been infected was quite a surprise."
The experts have stressed that the brain is likely to heal.
Douaud said: "We need to bear in mind that the brain is really plastic - by that we mean it can heal itself - so there is a really good chance that, over time, the harmful effects of infection will ease."