Brain Changes Linked to Long COVID Smell Loss, Say Neuroscientists.

A recent study led by UCL researchers has found that people living with long COVID and experiencing anosmia (loss of smell) show different brain activity patterns compared to those who have recovered their sense of smell or never had COVID-19. The study used MRI scans and discovered reduced brain activity and impaired communication between the orbitofrontal cortex and the pre-frontal cortex in people with long COVID anosmia. The findings suggest that long COVID anosmia may be linked to a change in the brain that prevents smells from being processed properly, but since it is clinically reversible, olfactory training might help the brain recover this sense.