COVID-19 infections linked to brain damage, studies find

Two studies published Monday show how COVID-19 infection is associated with higher rates of brain tissue abnormalities.

These effects were subtle and it's possible many of the people who experience them will heal on their own without medical intervention. But these findings could help explain the cognitive decline experienced by some COVID-19 survivors.

Because the studies evaluated patients who became sick with COVID-19 before vaccines were widely available, it's not clear if this tissue damage happens among vaccinated people. Experts are hopeful vaccines would offer some protection against neurological damage, as they do help reduce the risk of other types of tissue damage.

The first study, published Monday in the journal Nature, looked at more than 400 people ages 51 to 81 who tested positive for COVID-19 from the U.K. Biobank study, comparing MRI scans taken prior to infection against those taken an average of five months after infection.