A specialized type of MRI showed lingering brain abnormalities in patients up to 6 months after they recovered from COVID-19.
Data from susceptibility-weighted MRI in 46 COVID-recovered patients and 30 healthy controls showed that the former had significantly higher susceptibility values in regions of the frontal lobe and brain stem, according to Vidur Mahajan, MBBS, MBA, CEO of CARPL.ai of San Francisco and New Delhi.
“These brain regions are linked with fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, depression, headaches, and cognitive problems,” explained co-investigator Sapna Mishra, a PhD candidate at the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi, in a press release. COVID-recovered study patients reported symptoms of fatigue, trouble sleeping, lack of attention, and memory issues.
These abnormalities did not appear in the brains of the controls (age about 34), noted Mahajan, who presented the results on behalf of Mishra, who was unable to attend RSNA due to visa issues.
“Group-level studies have not previously focused on COVID-19 changes in magnetic susceptibility of the brain despite several case reports signaling such abnormalities,” Mishra stated in the release. “Our study highlights this new aspect of the neurological effects of COVID-19 and reports significant abnormalities in COVID survivors. Changes in susceptibility values of brain regions may be indicative of local compositional changes.”
