INTERNATIONAL: COVID-19 can cause the brain to shrink and damage areas linked to memory and smell. That's according to a new study by Oxford University published in the journal Nature.

Researchers have investigated the brain changes in 785 people, aged 51 to 81, whose brains were scanned twice. More than 400 of them had COVID between their two MRI scans.

The study found that even mild cases of COVID-19 could cause significant changes to the brain.

Participants have showed "a worsening of executive function" responsible for focus and organising,and their brain sizes shrank by up to 2 percent.

The researchers don't know whether these changes are permanent and have said it needed a further investigation.

The study was conducted when the Alpha variant was dominant in Britain and is unlikely to include anyone infected with the Delta variant.

It's unclear whether vaccination against COVID had any impact on the condition.