A recent **study** suggests that Covid infections could potentially lower a person’s **intelligence**, with severe cases causing the most notable reductions. The research revealed that individuals who managed to steer clear of Covid performed best in intelligence tests, while the scores of those hospitalized due to the disease were lower. Moreover, those with milder infections are also thought to have experienced a decline in their cognitive abilities.
The **scientists** from Imperial College London analyzed data from over 112,000 volunteers who underwent Covid tests during the height of the pandemic. The results indicated that patients who were treated in intensive care for Covid scored approximately nine IQ points lower compared to individuals who remained uninfected.
The **participants** who reportedly suffered from long Covid – persistent symptoms like ‘brain fog’ – saw about a six-point reduction. Furthermore, people who experienced mild infections also showed a slight decline, scoring around two points lower on average.
Adam Hampshire, the lead author of the study, elaborated on the wider **implications** of these findings, which he termed as ‘quite scary’. Alternate research scrutinizing brain scans before and after the pandemic insinuated that even non-hospitalized Covid patients could experience brain impacts as a secondary consequence of the infection impacting blood vessels and oxygen flow.
*Study*: A detailed and systematic examination of a subject or a phenomenon.
*Intelligence*: The ability to learn, understand, or deal with new or trying situations.
*Scientists*: Professionals engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge that describes and predicts the natural world.
*Participants*: People who take part in a particular event, study, or competition.
*Implications*: The conclusions that can be drawn from something, although it is not explicitly stated.
Vocabulary List:
- Study (noun): A detailed and systematic examination of a subject or a phenomenon.
- Intelligence (noun): The ability to learnunderstandor deal with new or trying situations.
- Scientists (noun): Professionals engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge that describes and predicts the natural world.
- Participants (noun): People who take part in a particular eventstudyor competition.
- Implications (noun): The conclusions that can be drawn from somethingalthough it is not explicitly stated.
- Cognitive (adjective): Related to the process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thoughtexperienceand the senses.
