Covid-19 infection in fathers linked to brain and behavioral changes in children, study finds

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Covid-19 infection can affect not only the body of the infected person but also the mental development and behavior of his future generation.

New research from the University of Melbourne, Australia, has found that if a father has COVID-19 before the child's birth, his sperm may undergo changes that affect the child's brain and behavior. In particular, these children are more likely to experience mental health problems like anxiety. This research was published in the journal Nature Communications.

Lead researcher Professor Anthony Hannan, from the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health at the University of Melbourne, said, "Previous research has shown that stress and illness in men can affect their sperm, which in turn impacts their child's brain and behaviour. These changes are primarily due to the RNA molecules present in sperm. RNA are informational molecules that play a vital role in a child's development. Factors in a father's lifestyle can affect these RNA molecules, altering the instructions for a child's development."

In the research, scientists tried to find out whether Covid-19 infection also affects the RNA of the father's sperm and whether it affects the children.

To do this, they infected a group of male mice with COVID-19 and, after they recovered, placed them with healthy female mice so they could have offspring. They then studied the behavior and brains of the newborns.

The research found that all children born to fathers infected with Covid had more anxiety-like problems, especially the behavior of these children showed anxiety and fear.

The study also found that the activity of several key genes was altered in the female child's brain, a region called the hippocampus. This region is associated with memory, emotions, and mental state. Therefore, scientists believe that changes in the father's sperm due to COVID infection may affect the child's brain development and mental state.

Scientists examined the RNA of the infected father's sperm in depth, finding that the COVID infection affected RNA molecules that control genes involved in brain development.

Professor Anthony Hannan said that if these results hold true in humans, it could impact millions of children and their families worldwide. This could pose a major public health challenge. He added that more research is needed in this area to fully understand the impact and develop appropriate measures to address it.