In a study comparing 46 severe COVID-19 patients with 460 matched controls, British researchers found the mental impact of severe COVID-19 six months later can be the equivalent to aging 20 years – going from 50 to 70 years old – or losing 10 IQ points.

在一项将46名新冠肺炎重症患者与460人的匹配对照组进行比较的研究中，英国研究人员发现，这些患者在感染新冠病毒6个月后受到的认知影响相当于衰老20年（从50岁到70岁），或智商降低10个点。

Previous research has shown during severe COVID, the brain decreases glucose consumption in the frontoparietal network, which is involved in attention, problem solving and working memory.
此前的研究表明，新冠肺炎症状严重时，大脑会减少额顶叶的葡萄糖消耗，额顶叶负责注意力、问题解决和工作记忆等功能。

It's also known the virus can directly affect the brain.
众所周知，新冠病毒会直接影响大脑。

But the research suggests the likely culprit isn't direct infection, but a combination of factors: including reduced oxygen or blood supply to the brain; clotting of vessels; and microscopic bleeds.
但研究人员认为，罪魁祸首可能不是感染病毒本身，而是多种因素的综合作用：包括大脑供氧或血液供应减少、静脉血栓以及轻微出血。

The full report has been published in eClinical Medicine.
这项研究发表在《临床医学》上。