British scientists from Imperial College London calculated how much coronavirus infection (COVID-19) affects the mental abilities of patients. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).
We are talking about “brain fog”, one of the long-term consequences of coronavirus infection. Patients complained of memory impairment, decreased concentration, sleep problems, depression, increased fatigue, apathy and other symptoms.
“Brain fog” can make a person lose up to six intelligence quotient (IQ) points per year, experts have found. Deficits were found primarily in cognitive areas related to memory, spatial planning, and verbal reasoning.
A six-point drop in IQ has little impact on a person’s daily life, but could be significant at a population level given the scale of the epidemic, experts said.
The study is based on data from 112,000 people who took an online test designed specifically to measure cognitive abilities.
Previous scientists clarified Consequences of COVID-19 on the human brain.