帝国理工最新研究：新冠可致智商降低，轻症亦有影响

　　2020年10月26日，《泰晤士报》最新报道称，帝国理工学院领导的一项研究发现，一些新冠康复者可能会遭受持续性的精神损伤。

　　在最严重的情况下，例如需要重症监护或使用呼吸机的患者，新冠可能引发其认知能力下降，程度相当于大脑衰老10年或智商下降8.5个百分点。

　　该研究负责人之一，帝国理工学院脑科学系的Adam Hampshire还指出，这一“令人震惊”的结果不仅针对新冠重症患者。

　　研究显示，有些没有呼吸困难但新冠检测呈阳性的轻症患者，在康复后认知能力也有所下降。一些在家自行康复的人大脑平均衰老了5岁或智商下降4个百分点。

　　由于这是少见的针对新冠轻症确诊者的后遗症研究，这边我也放上这部分内容的英文原文：

　　科学家说，许多患者在新冠康复数周或数月后报告的“脑雾”现象，需要引起我们的注意。

　　脑雾英文为brain fog，是大脑难以形成清晰思维和记忆的现象，就像是大脑里笼罩着一层朦胧的迷雾，原本熟悉清晰的事情变得模糊起来，一时间会怎么都想不起来。

　　脑雾症状包括失忆、思维混乱、注意力难集中、头晕和遗忘日常词汇等。

　　越来越多的新冠康复者表示，脑雾正在损害他们的工作能力和正常机能。

　　帝国理工在对84,285名已确诊或疑似新冠患者进行研究后发现，根据发病的严重程度不同，新冠病毒对大脑的损害程度也不同。还需要进一步研究来确定这种情况会持续多久。

　　下为一名英国新冠康复者自述后遗症经历：

　　主导这项研究的负责人Adam还指出：

　　“从实际情况来看，新冠对每个人工作和生活造成的影响大不相同。研究结果与许多人此前所报告的“脑雾”一致，之前这些患者报告自己在康复几个月后，仍无法集中精力工作或像以前一样专注。”来自帝国理工学院、剑桥大学、芝加哥大学和伦敦国王学院的研究小组还发现，与未受疾病影响的人相比，部分新冠康复者在逻辑、词义、空间定向、注意力和处理情绪方面均受到影响。

　　该论文称，这项研究结果将为进一步研究新冠病毒如何影响大脑起到“吹响号角”的作用（“clarion call”）。

　　报告还说：“从疑似或确诊新冠中恢复过来的患者在多个领域的认知测试中表现的比预期的要弱，特别是相较于他们的年龄和人口特征应有的表现来看。”

　　“这种情况带来的症状可大可小，且已经在那些没有接受过医院治疗的新冠康复者中出现。”

　　“This deficit scales with symptom severity and is evident among those without hospital treatment.”

　　至于研究方法方面，在这项研究中，参与者被要求进行九项测试来评估他们的认知功能，然后由专家对其结果进行分析。

　　为了避免偏见，参与者在完成任务之前没有被告知这项研究正在评估新冠病毒对其产生影响。在参与调查的84285人中，有60人因新冠病情而使用呼吸机，有147人住院但没有使用呼吸机。另有176人因呼吸困难需要在家接受医疗护理，3466人有呼吸困难，但没有得到医疗救助，9201人确诊生病时没有任何呼吸困难症状。虽然研究结果显示新冠可能造成大脑迟钝，但研究人员也特别指出，对于任何疾病，花在重症监护室或使用呼吸机上的时间都会对患者的认知功能产生影响。

　　《泰晤士报》的这篇报道最后也总结道：虽然到目前为止，关于新冠认知影响的临床数据很少，但值得注意的是，幸存者和他们的医生已经开始报告一系列新冠慢性症状，最常见的就是持续的疲劳和疲倦感（unshakeable fatigue and weariness.）。这项研究最早于今年5月开展，并后续持续不断对在对一些新冠康复进行几个月的追踪观察，以评估新冠病毒对这些人的认知影响。

　　为了更深入地了解其对大脑的损害，研究小组接下来还将会把这一研究结果与更详细的行为研究结果进行比对。

　　目前这一研究数据储存在英国学术机构Great British Intelligence Test，该机构也正鼓励更多人加入这一研究，报名网址是：gbit.cognitron.co.uk。

　　*最后也附上《泰晤士报》10月26日报道原文：

　　Coronavirus could age the brain by 10 years or cause IQ to fall

　　Survivors of coronavirus could be at risk of lasting mental damage as a study found that in the worst cases it can trigger cognitive decline equivalent to the brain ageing ten years or an 8.5-point drop in IQ.

　　The “brain fog” reported by many sufferers weeks and months after recovering from the disease could be a symptom of more serious cognitive deficits, scientists say.

　　Research involving 84,285 people who had recovered from confirmed or suspected Covid-19 found that damage to the brain happened in varying levels depending on the severity of the disease. Further work is needed to identify how long this lasts.

　　The worst-affected patients, those treated in intensive care or who needed ventilation, suffered the equivalent of an 8.5-point drop in their IQ,?or the brain ageing ten years.

　　Adam Hampshire, of the faculty of medicine, department of brain sciences at Imperial College London, and lead author of the study, said the “shocking” results did not only apply to patients who ended up in hospital.

　　Those who experienced no breathing difficulties but tested positive for Covid also had cognitive decline after recovery, according to the study.

　　Those who recovered at home experienced an average deficit equivalent to ageing five years or a drop of four IQ points.

　　“In real terms this is a large enough difference that as an inpidual you would notice an impact on the ability to cope with your normal job and everyday life. The results align with the ‘brain fog’ reported by many people who, even months after recovery, say they are unable to concentrate on work or focus how they did before,” Dr Hampshire said.

　　The team from Imperial College, the University of Cambridge, University of Chicago and King’s College London also found that coronavirus survivors scored poorly on tests for logic and the meaning of words, spatial orientation, maintaining attention and processing their emotions, compared with those unaffected by the disease.

　　The results should act as a “clarion call” for further work to be carried out on how Covid affects the brain, according to the paper. It added: “Inpiduals who recovered from suspected or confirmed Covid-19 perform worse on cognitive tests in multiple domains than would be expected, given their detailed age and demographic profiles.

　　“This deficit scales with symptom severity and is evident among those without hospital treatment.”

　　In the study participants were asked to carry out nine challenges to assess their cognitive function and the results were then analysed by a team of experts. To avoid bias, subjects were not told that the study was assessing the impact of Covid until after they completed the tasks.

　　Of the 84,285 people who took part, 60 reported being put on a ventilator due to Covid-19 and 147 were cared for in hospital without a ventilator.

　　A further 176 needed medical care at home for breathing difficulties, 3,466 had breathing difficulties but received no medical aid and 9,201 reported being ill without breathing symptoms.

　　The authors did note that time spent in intensive care or on a ventilator for any disease will have an impact on cognitive function.

　　Until now there has been little clinical data gathered on the cognitive impact of the disease. Anecdotally, survivors and their doctors have reported a series of symptoms of “long Covid”, the most common being unshakeable fatigue and weariness.

　　The initial study was conducted in May and further work is being conducted to assess the cognitive impact on those subjects several months after recovery. To get a deeper understanding of the damage to the brain, the team will also cross-reference the results from the behavioural study with detailed imaging.

　　The data was taken from the Great British Intelligence Test and participants are being encouraged to join the continuing research at gbit.cognitron.co.uk.

　　*值得注意的是，《泰晤士报》该文发布仅3小时，评论就达到了696条，显示英国民众也对这一研究成果非常重视。