As the number of people recovering after being confirmed with COVID-19 increases, ‘brain fog’ is often referred to as the aftereffects of the corona virus (long covid). Brain fog refers to a decline in some brain functions, such as memory and cognitive ability, after COVID-19. It is more common in elderly patients, and the symptoms are similar to those of dementia. In fact, there are reports that brain fog can lead to dementia if left unattended.
However, according to a study recently published by the University of Washington Medical School, in the case of brain fog that appears after Corona 19, it is possible to return the brain function to the state before the Corona 19 confirmation through cognitive rehabilitation training.
On the 5th, the American medical media ‘Kaiser Health News’ (KHN) reported this.
Cognitive rehabilitation is a treatment for people with brain damage from a concussion, traumatic accident, stroke or neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. It is a series of cognitive improvement exercises designed to help you recover from brain damage and adapt to persistent cognitive impairment.
Training starts with repetition of simple hand movements. Dr. Joe Giacino, professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard University School of Medicine, said, “It is not easy to continue monotonous repetitive activities because attention is easily weakened.” .
It allows you to process two or more problem solving at the same time and increases the stimulation of brain activity on the back. For example, having them answer a question while solving a puzzle. Dr. Cho explained, “This can strengthen the neuronal connection network in the brain.”
However, it was found that the use of such cognitive rehabilitation programs was low in the elderly because there was no information about them. Dr. Monique Tremaine of the JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in New Jersey, USA, said, “Many people do not know about cognitive rehabilitation, so its use is low. It is necessary to apply for the program,” he said.
Cognitive rehabilitation is being implemented in several medical institutions in Korea. Although cognitive rehabilitation may be helpful for people with mild cognitive impairment, it is not suitable for people with advanced dementia
Brain fog is known to be caused by microthrombosis, chronic inflammation, abnormal immune responses, brain damage such as stroke or cerebral hemorrhage, and neurodegeneration caused by coronavirus. In particular, older people are more likely to experience cognitive problems after coronavirus than younger people. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA Psychiatry), brain fog symptoms occur in up to 47% of patients admitted to intensive care units for coronavirus. In addition, these symptoms were 37% more common in severely hospitalized patients than in non-hospitalized mild patients.