NEW DELHI– Covid-19 infection in fathers before conception may cause changes in sperm that affect their children’s brain development and increase anxiety risk later in life, according to a new animal study published in Nature Communications.
Researchers at the University of Melbourne’s Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health found that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, can trigger long-term molecular changes in sperm, potentially influencing the mental health of future generations.
“Fathers’ experiences can alter the information carried in sperm, including specific RNA molecules that transmit instructions for offspring development,” said Professor Anthony Hannan, the study’s lead author. “We wanted to determine whether Covid-19 could have a similar impact.”
In the study, male mice were allowed to recover from SARS-CoV-2 infection before mating with healthy females. Their offspring showed significantly higher levels of anxiety-like behavior compared to the offspring of uninfected fathers.
Female offspring, in particular, displayed distinct gene expression changes in the hippocampus — a brain region associated with emotion, anxiety, and depression.
“These changes in the hippocampus, and potentially other brain regions, may explain the increased anxiety we observed,” said Dr. Carolina Gubert, a co-author of the study. “They likely occur through epigenetic inheritance and altered brain development.”
Further analysis of sperm RNA from infected males revealed disruptions in several molecules involved in gene regulation and brain development. The findings suggest that Covid-19 infection can reprogram the genetic signals passed to offspring, even after recovery.
“If our findings translate to humans, this could affect millions of children globally, with major implications for public health,” Hannan warned, urging further investigation into Covid-19’s long-term reproductive and neurological impacts.
The research builds on earlier studies showing that environmental and lifestyle factors — such as stress or poor diet — in fathers can modify sperm RNA, influencing offspring behavior and neurodevelopment. (Source: IANS)
