By Admin 
When the whole world was struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the attention was focused on infection prevention, treatment and vaccine. But now, a few years after the pandemic, scientists have noticed its effects which are quite shocking. Now a new research has come out which shows that this virus not only affects the infected person, but can also affect the mental health and behavior of their children i.e. the next generation and that too when the infection occurs before pregnancy.
A study conducted at Australia’s Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health has revealed that COVID-19 infection can cause changes in men’s sperm, which can affect the child’s brain development and behavior. These results have been published in a scientific journal named Nature Communications. So let us know what this research says, how it was done, what is behind it.
What does the research say?
Scientists of Flory Institute conducted an experiment on rats. They first infected some male mice with SARS-CoV-2. Then, these mice were allowed to completely recover from the infection, and then they were bred with healthy female mice. The offspring born to these infected male mice showed more anxious behavior than the offspring of mice whose fathers had never been infected. Especially in female offspring, a profound effect was seen in genes related to stress. Scientists found that there have been major changes in gene activity in the hippocampus, an important part of the brain. This is the same part that controls our emotions and mood.
Why and how does this effect occur?
Researchers found that after infection with the COVID-19 virus, the RNA present in men’s sperm, especially non-coding RNA, changes. Non-coding RNAs are molecules that do not make proteins directly from DNA, but work to turn genes on or off. Meaning, they decide which genes will be active and which will not, these genes control the growth and behavior of the body. Therefore, when such RNAs change in sperm, the brain and behavior of the next generation can be affected. This is called epigenetic change in scientific language.
What does this mean for humans?
The next step is to do similar tests in humans, such as examining the sperm of men who have recovered from COVID-19, and seeing if there are any mental or behavioral changes in their children. If the same process happens in humans, it could have an impact on millions of families, because millions of people around the world have been infected with COVID-19. This research has looked at COVID-19 in a new light, not just as a respiratory disease, but as a virus that can also affect human reproduction and the mental health of the next generations.
Also read: The habit of chewing food properly can increase lifespan, know the right way to eat food.
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