The American Academy of Neurology shared these new research findings on Feb. 21, prior to them being presented at their annual meeting being held in late April.

For the study, experts screened patients for anxiety and depression in addition to having them undergo brain imaging to analyze connectivity and resting-state brain activity an average of three months after their initial infection. A total of 254 individuals were included in the study—102 with symptoms of anxiety and depression and 152 without.

On imaging, patients who suffer from anxiety and depression exhibited shrinkage in the limbic area of the brain. In contrast, long COVID patients without anxiety and depression did not display this change.

Researchers also observed widespread changes in 12 out of the 12 networks they analyzed in these symptomatic patients, but in only 5 out of 12 in the group without anxiety and depression.

“Our results suggest a severe pattern of changes in how the brain communicates as well as its structure, mainly in people with anxiety and depression with long COVID syndrome, which affects so many people,” explained Clarissa Yasuda, MD, PhD, of the University of Campinas in São Paulo, Brazil, where the research took place. “The magnitude of these changes suggests that they could lead to problems with memory and thinking skills, so we need to be exploring holistic treatments even for people mildly affected by COVID-19.”

Equally concerning for experts, these changes occurred in patients who weathered what would be considered mild cases of COVID.

“Our findings are concerning, as even people with a mild case of COVID-19 are showing changes in their brains months later,” Yasuda said, adding that more research is needed to determine the long-term trajectory of these changes and how they affect an individual’s quality of life.