COVID-19 Scan for Jul 12, 2022

Better brain function, fewer long-COVID symptoms after hyperbaric oxygenLong-COVID patients in Israel who underwent hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) saw improvement in brain function and cognitive, psychiatric, and physical symptoms, according to a report published today in Scientific Reports.Researchers from the Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research conducted the randomized, controlled trial of 73 patients who had long-COVID symptoms for 3 months or more after acute infection.In HBOT, patients enter a special chamber in which they breathe pure oxygen in air pressure levels 1.5 to 3 times higher than usual to maximize blood oxygen levels to repair tissues and restore healthy body function.Participants were randomly assigned to receive either 40 daily HBOT sessions (37 patients) or sham treatment (36) and were evaluated at baseline and 1 to 3 weeks after their last session.The HBOT group saw moderate improvements in global cognitive function, attention, and executive function, as well as energy level, sleep, psychiatric symptoms such as depression and anxiety, odor detection, and pain.

These outcomes were linked to significant improvement in both brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) perfusion (blood flow) and small structural changes in symptom-related brain regions.No significant differences in any reported adverse effects were observed between the treatment and sham groups."These results indicate that HBOT can induce neuroplasticity and improve cognitive, psychiatric, fatigue, sleep and pain symptoms of patients suffering from post-COVID-19 condition," the authors wrote. "HBOT's beneficial effect may be attributed to increased brain perfusion and neuroplasticity in regions associated with cognitive and