Brain Damage Newsroom

Cold Virus Might Harm Long-Term Memory

Infection of the central nervous system by the common cold and other viruses may lead to memory loss late in life, Mayo Clinic researchers report.

"Our study suggests that virus-induced memory loss could accumulate over the lifetime of an individual and eventually lead to clinical cognitive memory deficits," neuroscientist Charles L. Howe, corresponding study author, said in a prepared statement.

In studies with mice, his team found that a nervous system infection linked to a pathogen called picornavirus could have a permanent effect on memory. The findings are published in the November issue of the journal Neurobiology of Disease.

Picornaviruses are a family of common viruses that include rhinoviruses associated with the common cold; enteroviruses, linked to respiratory and gastrointestinal ailments; encephalitis inflammation of the brain; myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle); and meningitis. Read more at healthfinder.gov