Evidence of Alarming Growth in Cognitive Impairment Among Adults

by Amber Baker

Published January 1, 2024
Immune & Brain Disorders

According to research conducted in Netherlands by the Network for Health Research in Disasters (GOR Network), a significant number of adults are increasingly grappling with unexplained memory and concentration problems. The findings show an alarming 24 percent spike in doctor visits related to cognitive impairment issues among people 25 years and older during the first quarter of 2023, compared to the same period in 2020.¹

Typically, older adults (aged 75 or older) are most likely to report cognitive symptoms to a doctor. While all age groups contributed to a spike in visits for memory and concentration issues, the most concerning surges were among adults aged 45 to 74 years (40 percent) and younger adults aged 24 to 44 years (31 percent). Only one age group, consisting of individuals 25 years old and under, saw no notable increase.

The researchers blame the latent effects of COVID-19 infections and related public health policies. While it is not uncommon for other infectious diseases, such as influenza, to cause memory and concentration issues, studies have shown long-term cognitive problems are more common after SARS-CoV-2 infections than influenza infections.¹

The GOR Network consists of the local Municipal Public Health Services (GGDs), GGD GHOR Nederland, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), the Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research (Nivel) and ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre. According to the GOR Network website, the network has been studying the short- and long-term effects of the COVID pandemic and related measures on the general health and well-being of the population of the Netherlands since 2021.¹

Lockdowns Likely Accelerated Cognitive Decline in Older Adults

While a definitive source of the increase in memory issues among most adult age groups is inconclusive, researchers assert that lockdowns or stay-at-home orders accelerated cognitive decline in older individuals who had already begun experiencing symptoms of poor memory and concentration. Alternatively, researchers also explore the possibility that the spike in cognitive issues could be a byproduct of long-haul COVID—a condition where symptoms that surface after recovering from the virus persist for weeks, months, or even years. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the illness known as “Long COVID” remains a mystery to doctors and researchers.¹ ²

Long-Post COVID Vaccination Syndrome Resembles Long-Haul COVID

Long Post-COVID Vaccination Syndrome or “Long Vax”, the coined term for COVID vaccine injury, has gained traction and even acceptance in the medical community. With a similar presentation of ongoing debilitating side effects that mirror long-haul COVID, differentiating the two can be a challenge even for experts. One study draws a parallel between the mRNA-vaccine-injury syndrome and a severely impacted quality of life that can lead to disability.

According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), LPCVS can cause side effects such as visual disturbances, myalgia, muscle cramps, fatigue, syncope, fever, headache, and palpitations. Additionally, those affected by “Long Vax” may also experience muscle weakness, swings in heart rate and blood pressure, fatigue and brain fog.

Since breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections began increasing among vaccinated people shortly following introduction of the experimental mRNA COVID shots in December 2020, distinguishing Long-Haul COVID from Long Post-COVID Vaccination Syndrome has been difficult.³ ⁴

Studies Suggest Memory Impairments Following COVID Vaccination

While currently there is no scientific evidence that supports the claim that the mRNA COVID shots cause memory loss or concentration problems, cases of transient global amnesia (TGA) following mRNA COVID vaccination have been reported, according to one published research article. Transient global amnesia (TGA) is a sudden, temporary interruption of short-term memory. Most vaccine-related cases involved women (64.7 percent) and the most represented age group was between ages 45–64—the same age range with the highest surge in memory-related doctor visits early last year. Among those who experienced vaccine-related TGA, 61.6 percent cases were considered serious.⁵

One 2022 study on the cognitive deficits and memory impairments after vaccination with AstraZeneca/Oxford University’s Covishield vaccine concluded:

memory loss has not been reported after COVID-19 vaccination, although it is a possibility.⁶

Additionally, the study found that cognitive complications could occur post-vaccination:

Acute cognitive deficits and memory impairments could be another complication that physicians and neurologists need to be alerted to, but larger and further studies are needed to determine whether post-vaccination rates of memory impairment are common or not.⁶

Another study sheds light on short-term memory loss as an adverse effect of vaccine-related encephalitis, stating:

[S]hort-term memory loss with autoimmune encephalitis is rare and its causes are still mostly unknown and are only now being determined. Such cases included in our report should increase awareness of possible rare autoimmune reactions following this novel vaccination.⁷

Long COVID Memory Issues Driving Disability Numbers in Workforce

Approximately 1.7 million working-age people have reported a disability since the COVID pandemic began. According to a Long COVID and Labor Market Outcomes study, about a quarter of those with Long COVID have altered their employment status, working hours, or left the workforce altogether.

A monthly Current Population Survey census asked a sample of Americans whether they have serious problems with memory and concentration, defining them as disabled if they answered yes to that and a handful of other questions about daily activity limitations. In early 2020, the survey estimated fewer than 15 percent of Americans between the ages of 18-64 had any kind of disability. By September 2023, that number rose to about 16.5 million. Almost two-thirds of that increase was attributed to Americans with newly reported limitations on their ability to think clearly and concentrate.⁸ ⁹ ¹⁰
Psychiatrist Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez, MD, chair of rehabilitation medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, said:

It’s not just fog, it’s a brain injury, basically. There are neurovascular changes. There’s inflammation. There are changes on MRIs. ¹⁰

“If the progressing collective neurodegeneration continues, we may be running out of intellectual resources and time to handle this problem. The scientists, who need to use the full capacity of their intellect, may also be losing cognitive abilities along with their peers – potentially with frightening consequences for all of us if the above-mentioned cognitive problems deepen,” says mathematician Igor Chudov. “Good science is completely impossible without the intellect of scientists.”¹¹

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Thursday, January 4, 2024