Researchers have identified instances of underdeveloped brains in children born to mothers who contracted COVID-19 during pregnancy.

A new study led by Salvador Martínez, principal investigator at the Institute of Neurosciences (CSIC), has shed light on the potential long-term effects of COVID-19 on the neurodevelopment of children.

The study, conducted by the Mental Illness Neurobiology group of the mixed research centre of CSIC and the University Miguel Hernández, analysed several human brains of 20-week-old fetuses anonymously donated after a spontaneous abortion in 2020.

The research found that SARS-CoV-2 can enter still immature neurons due to the similarity in the protein used by these neurons to improve oxygen flow. This, in turn, can alter the normal development of neurons, potentially leading to cognitive delays.

According to the study, fetuses exposed to COVID-19 during pregnancy have a tenfold increased risk of developing developmental delays or intellectual developmental disabilities. This risk is particularly high in the fields of learning and memory. The scientist's statement about the specific effects on the hippocampus, the brain area dedicated to memory, adds to the understanding of the virus's effects on the developing brain.

The cases of five-year-old children who were exposed to COVID-19 during their mothers' pregnancies correspond to infections occurring roughly five years before the present, marking the early to mid period of the COVID-19 pandemic which began in late 2019 and extended through 2020-2021 during peak infection waves.

The study also found that these cognitive delays in children of unvaccinated mothers are a result of the virus's presence, not the vaccines. Cases of five-year-old children who contracted COVID-19 while in the womb during the pandemic have increased by 10%.

Salvador Martínez clarified that these delays in children of unvaccinated mothers are a result of the virus's presence, not the vaccines. He also emphasised that this is what can now be started to be confirmed, as those children are over five years old and that's when the relevant region of the brain is necessary for them to learn appropriately.

The scientist's conclusion emphasizes the need for further research and observation as the children grow older to confirm the potential long-term effects of COVID-19 on neurodevelopment. The findings of this study expand our understanding of the effects of SARS-CoV-2, which infected society as a whole without being as virulent as previous viruses like smallpox.