A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has revealed that long COVID can lead to a reduction in a person's IQ by up to six points. The research found that COVID-19 is associated with longer-term cognitive deficits, highlighting the concerning impact of the virus on the brain.

The study aimed to shed light on the phenomenon commonly known as "brain fog," which is characterized by mental strain and confusion experienced by COVID-19 patients. It was discovered that individuals who had symptoms of the virus for around 12 weeks experienced the largest decrease in IQ.

Another study conducted unrelatedly discovered that nearly a quarter of American COVID-19 patients reported experiencing symptoms lasting three months or more. These findings further underscore the long-lasting effects of the virus on an individual's cognitive abilities.

Author Adam Hampshire from Imperial College London commented on the significance of the study, explaining, "What our study shows is that brain fog can correlate with objectively measurable deficits. That is quite an important finding."

The study assessed over 141,000 individuals and included tests focused on various cognitive functions such as immediate memory, mental manipulation, spatial working memory, spatial planning, analogical reasoning, word definitions, information sampling, and delayed memory. The researchers found that memory, reasoning, and executive function tasks were particularly sensitive to COVID-19-related cognitive differences.

Additionally, the research suggests that earlier cases of the original virus or the alpha variant, which emerged around the start of the pandemic, were associated with the most significant waves of cognitive decline. On a positive note, the study indicated that participants who received two or more vaccinations for COVID-19 experienced minimal effects from repeat episodes of the illness and even had a slight cognitive advantage.

While only 3.5% of patients in the Imperial College study exhibited symptoms for 12 weeks or longer, experts highlighted the significance of this number. Psychiatrist Dr. Maxime Taquet from Oxford University emphasized the impact of cognitive deficits on individuals' ability to work and function, stating, "Even if cognitive deficits after COVID-19 are of small magnitude on average, a substantial minority of people have more significant deficits which are likely to affect their ability to work and function. Given the scale of the pandemic and the number of people affected, this is particularly worrisome."

These research findings shed light on the long-term cognitive effects associated with COVID-19 and emphasize the importance of continued efforts to reduce the transmission and severity of the virus. Further studies are necessary to better understand the mechanisms behind these cognitive deficits and develop effective interventions to address them.