[D66] Persbericht: Post-Covid mogelijk opgelost (Wuhan Coronavirus 2019-nCoV #956)

[Dr. Marc-Alexander Fluks]

Bron:  Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)
Datum: 21 november 2022
URL:   
https://press.rsna.org/timssnet/media/pressreleases/14_pr_target.cfm?id=2381
Ref:   https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/984517


MRI reveals significant brain abnormalities Post-COVID
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* Researchers identified changes to the brain stem and frontal lobe in 
patients months after COVID-19 infection.
* The affected brain regions are linked with fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, 
depression, headaches and cognitive problems.
* Susceptibility-weighted MRI aids in the detection and monitoring of a 
host of neurologic conditions.

CHICAGO — Using a special type of MRI, researchers have uncovered brain 
changes in patients up to six months after they recovered from COVID-19, 
according to a study being presented next week at the annual meeting of 
the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

About one in five adults will develop long-term effects from COVID-19, 
according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 
Neurological symptoms associated with long COVID include difficulty 
thinking or concentrating, headache, sleep problems, lightheadedness, 
pins-and-needles sensation, change in smell or taste, and depression or 
anxiety. However, studies have found that COVID-19 may be associated 
with changes to the heart, lungs or other organs even in asymptomatic 
patients.

As more people become infected and recover from COVID-19, research has 
begun to emerge, focusing on the lasting consequences of the disease.

For this study, researchers used susceptibility-weighted imaging to 
analyze the effects that COVID-19 has on the brain. Magnetic 
susceptibility denotes how much certain materials, such as blood, iron 
and calcium, will become magnetized in an applied magnetic field. This 
ability aids in the detection and monitoring of a host of neurologic 
conditions including microbleeds, vascular malformations, brain tumors 
and stroke. 'Group-level studies have not previously focused on COVID-19 
changes in magnetic susceptibility of the brain despite several case 
reports signaling such abnormalities,' said study co-author Sapna S. 
Mishra, a Ph.D. candidate at the Indian Institute of Technology in 
Delhi. 'Our study highlights this new aspect of the neurological effects 
of COVID-19 and reports significant abnormalities in COVID survivors.'

The researchers analyzed the susceptibility-weighted imaging data of 46 
COVID-recovered patients and 30 healthy controls. Imaging was done 
within six months of recovery. Among patients with long COVID, the most 
commonly reported symptoms were fatigue, trouble sleeping, lack of 
attention and memory issues. 'Changes in susceptibility values of brain 
regions may be indicative of local compositional changes,' Mishra said. 
'Susceptibilities may reflect the presence of abnormal quantities of 
paramagnetic compounds, whereas lower susceptibility could be caused by 
abnormalities like calcification or lack of paramagnetic molecules 
containing iron.'

MRI results showed that patients who recovered from COVID-19 had 
significantly higher susceptibility values in the frontal lobe and brain 
stem compared to healthy controls. The clusters obtained in the frontal 
lobe primarily show differences in the white matter. 'These brain 
regions are linked with fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, depression, 
headaches and cognitive problems,' Mishra said.

Portions of the left orbital-inferior frontal gyrus (a key region for 
language comprehension and production) and right orbital-inferior 
frontal gyrus (associated with various cognitive functions including 
attention, motor inhibition and imagery, as well as social cognitive 
processes) and the adjacent white matter areas made up the frontal lobe 
clusters.

The researchers also found a significant difference in the right ventral 
diencephalon region of the brain stem. This region is associated with 
many crucial bodily functions, including coordinating with the endocrine 
system to release hormones, relaying sensory and motor signals to the 
cerebral cortex and regulating circadian rhythms (the sleep-wake cycle). 
'This study points to serious long-term complications that may be caused 
by the coronavirus, even months after recovery from the infection,' 
Mishra said. 'The present findings are from the small temporal window. 
However, the longitudinal time points across a couple of years will 
elucidate if there exists any permanent change.'

The researchers are conducting a longitudinal study on the same patient 
cohort to determine whether these brain abnormalities persist over a 
longer time frame.

Co-authors are Rakibul Hafiz, Ph.D., Tapan Gandhi, Ph.D., Vidur Mahajan, 
M.B.B.S., Alok Prasad, M.D., and Bharat Biswal, Ph.D.


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