New study: Omicron ≠ harmless for kids
We often hear - Omicron is just a mild flu, harmless for children.
A new study in Pediatric Neurology shows otherwise - even mild infections can leave measurable marks on the brain and cognition.🧵
We often hear - Omicron is just a mild flu, harmless for children.
A new study in Pediatric Neurology shows otherwise - even mild infections can leave measurable marks on the brain and cognition.🧵
Cohort: 60 children (6–18 y), infected during the 2022 Omicron wave in Taiwan.
All had mild disease (no breathing problems).
They underwent MRI brain scans, visual perception tests, and symptom tracking at 3 and 6 months.
All had mild disease (no breathing problems).
They underwent MRI brain scans, visual perception tests, and symptom tracking at 3 and 6 months.
Persistent symptoms
37% still had neuropsychiatric issues at 3 months
28% at 6 months (sic!)
Most common - headaches/dizziness, attention & memory problems, mood changes, sleep issues.
37% still had neuropsychiatric issues at 3 months
28% at 6 months (sic!)
Most common - headaches/dizziness, attention & memory problems, mood changes, sleep issues.
Brain changes
Kids with more severe symptoms had larger gray matter volumes in
the amygdala
temporal regions (middle temporal gyrus, planum polare)
These changes correlated with symptom severity.
Kids with more severe symptoms had larger gray matter volumes in
the amygdala
temporal regions (middle temporal gyrus, planum polare)
These changes correlated with symptom severity.
Visual perception
Children reporting blurred vision, sensitivity to light, or even visual hallucinations scored lower on standardized visual perception tests (TVPS-4), especially in sequential memory and form constancy.
Deficits correlated with changes in the hippocampus and amygdala.
Children reporting blurred vision, sensitivity to light, or even visual hallucinations scored lower on standardized visual perception tests (TVPS-4), especially in sequential memory and form constancy.
Deficits correlated with changes in the hippocampus and amygdala.
Explanation.
This isn’t about tired eyes.
Tests showed that kids with visual complaints had measurable problems processing visual information in the brain - remembering image sequences, or recognizing the same object in different contexts.
Subjective complaints matched objective deficits.
This isn’t about tired eyes.
Tests showed that kids with visual complaints had measurable problems processing visual information in the brain - remembering image sequences, or recognizing the same object in different contexts.
Subjective complaints matched objective deficits.
And what about the amygdala?
It’s a hub for emotions, memory, and sensory integration.
Enlargement here likely reflects chronic inflammation or a compensatory reaction.
That’s why symptoms span not just memory and focus, but also mood and perception.
It’s a hub for emotions, memory, and sensory integration.
Enlargement here likely reflects chronic inflammation or a compensatory reaction.
That’s why symptoms span not just memory and focus, but also mood and perception.
Sum:
Omicron in kids ≠ harmless.
Even mild infection can leave neurological and cognitive footprints.
Older children were more likely to have lingering issues.
Acute neuropsychiatric symptoms may predict long-term outcomes.
Omicron in kids ≠ harmless.
Even mild infection can leave neurological and cognitive footprints.
Older children were more likely to have lingering issues.
Acute neuropsychiatric symptoms may predict long-term outcomes.
Children’s brains react differently than adults - instead of shrinkage (atrophy), we see enlargement, possibly from inflammation or compensation.
But the message is clear - Omicron is not biologically mild for children.
It requires monitoring, not dismissal. @szupraha @ZdravkoOnline
But the message is clear - Omicron is not biologically mild for children.
It requires monitoring, not dismissal. @szupraha @ZdravkoOnline
Chen at al., Long-term influence of pediatric long COVID syndrome on the visual perception and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Journal pre-proof. pedneur.com/article/S0887-…
This pattern isn’t unique to COVID.
In Parkinson’s, visual hallucinations come from disrupted links between the visual cortex and the brain’s default mode network.
In multiple sclerosis, chronic inflammation enlarges the choroid plexus and alters gray matter.
After other viral encephalitides, kids often have lingering visual–cognitive deficits.
In Parkinson’s, visual hallucinations come from disrupted links between the visual cortex and the brain’s default mode network.
In multiple sclerosis, chronic inflammation enlarges the choroid plexus and alters gray matter.
After other viral encephalitides, kids often have lingering visual–cognitive deficits.
HIV parallel
HIV enters the brain via the choroid plexus, hiding there, fueling chronic inflammation - cognitive problems.
SARS-CoV-2 shows a similar signature - choroid plexus enlargement and temporal lobe changes in MRI studies.
The pattern is strikingly familiar.
HIV enters the brain via the choroid plexus, hiding there, fueling chronic inflammation - cognitive problems.
SARS-CoV-2 shows a similar signature - choroid plexus enlargement and temporal lobe changes in MRI studies.
The pattern is strikingly familiar.
The parallels tell us - what we’re seeing in kids after Omicron fits a broader pattern of neuroinflammation and misperception after viral hits.
The difference? SARS-CoV-2 affected an entire generation, not a rare subgroup.
The difference? SARS-CoV-2 affected an entire generation, not a rare subgroup.
We can no longer say - Omicron is mild for children.
Biology tells a different story - even mild cases can reshape the developing brain.
And like with HIV or MS, ignoring the subtle signs risks missing long-term damage.
Biology tells a different story - even mild cases can reshape the developing brain.
And like with HIV or MS, ignoring the subtle signs risks missing long-term damage.
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