"....two new studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine shed further light on the profound toll of COVID-19 on cognitive health." And in other studies cases "with mild to moderate COVID-19 showed significant prolonged inflammation of the brain and changes that are commensurate with seven years of brain aging."

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[–] asdfasdfasdf@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Not a doctor so may be a stupid question, but wouldn't the blood brain barrier protection stuff degrade or shut down when you die? Could it have leaked in after death?

[–] acetanilide@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago

My understanding is it can happen while alive.

Here is an article explaining it: https://asm.org/Articles/2020/April/How-Pathogens-Penetrate-the-Blood-Brain-Barrier

[–] Boddhisatva@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

One of the studies cited in the article found that COVID-19 damages (or can damage) the blood-brain barrier.

COVID-19 can also disrupt the blood brain barrier, the shield that protects the nervous system – which is the control and command center of our bodies – making it “leaky.” Studies using imaging to assess the brains of people hospitalized with COVID-19 showed disrupted or leaky blood brain barriers in those who experienced brain fog.

Considering the number of people who end up with "brain fog" this seems a likely way for it to enter the brain.