I'm always a little sceptical of correlations like this. What if choosing to get vaccinated just correlates with other lifestyle choices which help against dementia?
It's not just Shingrex. All vaccines show protection. Viral infections produce a lot of reactive oxygen from the innate immune response. In younger people, that ROS is cleared by mitochondria but as people age, mitochondria get less efficient. So less infections = less chance of neuronal damage.
But from a UK study, only women saw the protective effect of shingrex.
Due to a bureaucratic decision, people in UK got Shingrex, or not, born one week apart. People with vaccine, 20% less Alzheimer.
But, the effect was only seen in woman.
They only give the shingles vaccine to 50+ around where I live. I only found out later you actually could get a vaccine if you paid for it and did a bit of work to get into the process.
I got the shingles while recovering from an operation to remove a growth from my intestines. (Lab results later said not cancerous after luckily, otherwise I'd probably be dead right now.) I was 40 at the time and it was the worst pain I'd ever experienced. I got it in my face and it left scars. There was a good chance I would lose sight in at least one eye. But luckily I got away with it, the eyesight is a bit degraded, but still perfectly fine. However even tho it's now years and years ago and hasn't resurfaced, I still feel it all the time. Usually it's just a bit of pressure or maybe an itch, but sometimes it's tingles or an intense pain. I've gotten used to it, but it is still annoying.
If you have the option to get the shingles vaccine, do so! It's a terrible thing to go through.
Shingles is a recurrent herpes zoster infection. Others can catch Zoster from someone with shingles.
I have no idea why people call it chicken pox, it has nothing to do with chickens and it's not a pox virus.
Five years after the height of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic, scientists are beginning to unveil the infection’s potential long-term effects on the brain. We now know that following an acute COVID-19 infection, between 10% and 35% of people suffer from lingering effects called long COVID. For some people, these effects can be mild and short-lived, but for others, there may be lasting issues that may trigger a chain reaction of cognitive impairment.Long COVID is a condition following an acute infection of COVID-19 with symptoms lasting a few weeks to several months. Its effects vary from person to person and there are more than 200 reported symptoms. Common symptoms include extreme fatigue, memory problems or “brain fog,” lightheadedness and smell or taste impairment. Along with these symptoms, scientists conjectured that other long COVID effects might impact older people differently.
To better understand the connection between long COVID, potential cognitive impairment and aging-related neurodegenerative diseases, the Alzheimer’s Association gathered top scientists around the globe to study the effects of long COVID on the brain. Successive studies from the network show 1) long COVID has long-term effects on the brain and 2) cognitive impairment following long COVID may be more severe in older adults.
Gabriel de Erausquin, MD, PhD
In their most recent study, published January 2025 in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, the global team led by Gabriel A. de Erausquin, MD, PhD, MSc, Zachry Foundation Distinguished Professor of Neurology, Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s & Neurodegenerative Diseases, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio), explored the effects of long COVID on cognitive impairment among more than 3,500 adults from eight countries.
“This study highlights the profound and lasting impact that COVID-19 can have on the brain, particularly in older adults. We found that age, severity of infection and loss of smell are key factors linked to cognitive impairment after acute infection. Understanding these connections helps us uncover how the virus may contribute to brain changes and guide efforts to address its long-term effects on global brain health,” said de Erausquin.
Earlier studies by de Erausquin found that following COVID-19 infection, neurodegenerative biomarkers and inflammation in the brain were elevated, even among people without a history of neurodegenerative disease. This suggests COVID-19 infection may damage the central nervous system directly or in conjunction with a dysregulated immune system. Brains of people that had COVID-19 show a decrease in volume in both the limbic and olfactory systems, showing a possible connection to cognitive impairment and loss of the sense of smell (anosmia).
The scientists found that older adults who experienced more severe acute COVID-19 infection and lost their sense of smell had more symptoms of cognitive impairment following the infection. A battery of assessments showed younger and middle-aged adults had mild problems with attention and focus, but older participants had a noticeable decline in memory, language and executive functioning. Individuals who had more severe COVID-19 infection, were over 60 years old at the time of infection and experienced severe loss of smell had more pronounced cognitive impairment. Overall, older adults in the study had double the risk of moderate to severe dementia-like impairment following COVID-19 infection compared to younger adults.
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, loss of smell and taste was a distinctive symptom of the infection. Likewise, an early dementia symptom is loss or change in smell and taste. It is well-established that memory and smell are connected and the pathway connection the two functions could be damaged during COVID-19 infection. Previous studies suggest that COVID-19 enters the brain through the olfactory system and causes inflammation and other symptoms that could lead to damage and possibly trigger neurodegenerative progression.
“Our findings emphasize the need to prioritize brain health in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said de Erausquin. “Understanding how the virus affects the brain will not only help us care for those with long COVID but also pave the way for advancements in prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative conditions.”
16 Comments
bus_factor@lemmy.world · 19 pts · 6d
I'm always a little sceptical of correlations like this. What if choosing to get vaccinated just correlates with other lifestyle choices which help against dementia?
terranoid@lemmy.cafe · 18 pts · 6d
That's why you have to read it further than the headline. They would tell you if it's just correlation or if they proved causation.
In this case, they state down at the end that this does not prove causation and also that they received funding from glaxo smith kline
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 9 pts · 6d
It's not just Shingrex. All vaccines show protection. Viral infections produce a lot of reactive oxygen from the innate immune response. In younger people, that ROS is cleared by mitochondria but as people age, mitochondria get less efficient. So less infections = less chance of neuronal damage.
But from a UK study, only women saw the protective effect of shingrex.
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 14 pts · 5d
This is why these studies have to be done in non-shitholes that have universal health care.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08800-x
Due to a bureaucratic decision, people in UK got Shingrex, or not, born one week apart. People with vaccine, 20% less Alzheimer. But, the effect was only seen in woman.
Thorry@feddit.org · 8 pts · 5d
They only give the shingles vaccine to 50+ around where I live. I only found out later you actually could get a vaccine if you paid for it and did a bit of work to get into the process.
I got the shingles while recovering from an operation to remove a growth from my intestines. (Lab results later said not cancerous after luckily, otherwise I'd probably be dead right now.) I was 40 at the time and it was the worst pain I'd ever experienced. I got it in my face and it left scars. There was a good chance I would lose sight in at least one eye. But luckily I got away with it, the eyesight is a bit degraded, but still perfectly fine. However even tho it's now years and years ago and hasn't resurfaced, I still feel it all the time. Usually it's just a bit of pressure or maybe an itch, but sometimes it's tingles or an intense pain. I've gotten used to it, but it is still annoying.
If you have the option to get the shingles vaccine, do so! It's a terrible thing to go through.
Willy@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 6d
we still dont know the really long term effects though. what if they all die?
pdxfed@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 6d
There is a very good chance they will all die. Approaching 100%.
Willy@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 6d
science strikes again!
DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 6d
Done, and done.
It's not contagious so anti-vaxxers do your thing.
ickplant@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 5d
I thought it was contagious to anyone without a chickenpox vaccine if there is an active rash.
quick_snail@feddit.nl · 1 pts · 5d
Shingles is absolutely contagious
It will give the person the virus, which first is chickenpox. And then leaves them at risk for shingles in the future
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 5d
Shingles is a recurrent herpes zoster infection. Others can catch Zoster from someone with shingles. I have no idea why people call it chicken pox, it has nothing to do with chickens and it's not a pox virus.
Z745812939054@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 6d
lol great, now we just need to have never gotten covid
https://news.uthscsa.edu/long-covid-and-the-brain-global-study-links-infection-to-memory-loss-higher-dementia-risk-in-seniors/
quick_snail@feddit.nl · 1 pts · 5d
Wtf is this website.
The text is only visible in a 10% square on the screen
Z745812939054@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 5d
Five years after the height of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic, scientists are beginning to unveil the infection’s potential long-term effects on the brain. We now know that following an acute COVID-19 infection, between 10% and 35% of people suffer from lingering effects called long COVID. For some people, these effects can be mild and short-lived, but for others, there may be lasting issues that may trigger a chain reaction of cognitive impairment.Long COVID is a condition following an acute infection of COVID-19 with symptoms lasting a few weeks to several months. Its effects vary from person to person and there are more than 200 reported symptoms. Common symptoms include extreme fatigue, memory problems or “brain fog,” lightheadedness and smell or taste impairment. Along with these symptoms, scientists conjectured that other long COVID effects might impact older people differently.
To better understand the connection between long COVID, potential cognitive impairment and aging-related neurodegenerative diseases, the Alzheimer’s Association gathered top scientists around the globe to study the effects of long COVID on the brain. Successive studies from the network show 1) long COVID has long-term effects on the brain and 2) cognitive impairment following long COVID may be more severe in older adults. Gabriel de Erausquin, MD, PhD
In their most recent study, published January 2025 in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, the global team led by Gabriel A. de Erausquin, MD, PhD, MSc, Zachry Foundation Distinguished Professor of Neurology, Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s & Neurodegenerative Diseases, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio), explored the effects of long COVID on cognitive impairment among more than 3,500 adults from eight countries.
“This study highlights the profound and lasting impact that COVID-19 can have on the brain, particularly in older adults. We found that age, severity of infection and loss of smell are key factors linked to cognitive impairment after acute infection. Understanding these connections helps us uncover how the virus may contribute to brain changes and guide efforts to address its long-term effects on global brain health,” said de Erausquin.
Earlier studies by de Erausquin found that following COVID-19 infection, neurodegenerative biomarkers and inflammation in the brain were elevated, even among people without a history of neurodegenerative disease. This suggests COVID-19 infection may damage the central nervous system directly or in conjunction with a dysregulated immune system. Brains of people that had COVID-19 show a decrease in volume in both the limbic and olfactory systems, showing a possible connection to cognitive impairment and loss of the sense of smell (anosmia).
The scientists found that older adults who experienced more severe acute COVID-19 infection and lost their sense of smell had more symptoms of cognitive impairment following the infection. A battery of assessments showed younger and middle-aged adults had mild problems with attention and focus, but older participants had a noticeable decline in memory, language and executive functioning. Individuals who had more severe COVID-19 infection, were over 60 years old at the time of infection and experienced severe loss of smell had more pronounced cognitive impairment. Overall, older adults in the study had double the risk of moderate to severe dementia-like impairment following COVID-19 infection compared to younger adults.
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, loss of smell and taste was a distinctive symptom of the infection. Likewise, an early dementia symptom is loss or change in smell and taste. It is well-established that memory and smell are connected and the pathway connection the two functions could be damaged during COVID-19 infection. Previous studies suggest that COVID-19 enters the brain through the olfactory system and causes inflammation and other symptoms that could lead to damage and possibly trigger neurodegenerative progression.
“Our findings emphasize the need to prioritize brain health in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said de Erausquin. “Understanding how the virus affects the brain will not only help us care for those with long COVID but also pave the way for advancements in prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative conditions.”
michellewalters@sopuli.xyz · 1 pts · 2d
That’s a really interesting connection. It’ll be good to see what future research finds.