Structural and functional neuroimaging of hippocampus to study adult neurogenesis in long COVID-19 patients with neuropsychiatric symptoms: a scoping review

• Published in: PeerJ (San Francisco, CA) Vol. 13; p. e19575
• Main Authors: Saikarthik, Jayakumar, Saraswathi, Ilango, Padhi, Bijaya Kumar, Shamim, Muhammad Aaqib, Alzerwi, Nasser, Alarifi, Abdulaziz, Gandhi, Aravind P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States PeerJ. Ltd 27.06.2025; PeerJ, Inc; PeerJ Inc
• Subjects: Adult; Alzheimer's disease; Anatomy and Physiology; Apoptosis; Brain; Brain research; Cognitive Disorders; Complications; COVID-19; COVID-19 - complications; COVID-19 - diagnostic imaging; COVID-19 - physiopathology; Database searching; Delirium; Dementia; Disease; Functional Neuroimaging; Hippocampus; Hippocampus - diagnostic imaging; Hippocampus - pathology; Hippocampus - physiopathology; Humans; Internet/Web search services; Long COVID; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Medical imaging; Mental disorders; Mental Disorders - diagnostic imaging; Mental Disorders - physiopathology; Mental Health; Neurodegenerative diseases; Neurogenesis; Neurogenesis - physiology; Neuroimaging; Online searching; Parkinson's disease; Radiology and Medical Imaging; SARS-CoV-2; Schizophrenia; Search methods; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Signs and symptoms; Structure-function relationships; Viral infections; COVID-19; Neuroimaging; Long COVID; Neurogenesis; Hippocampus
• ISSN: 2167-8359; 2167-8359; 2376-5992
• DOI: 10.7717/peerj.19575

Worsening of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders occurs in COVID-19. Impaired adult neurogenesis is linked to most of the neuropsychiatric symptoms and disorders. The current scoping review identified and mapped the available evidence on adult neurogenesis in long COVID-19, at a global level following the JBI methodology for scoping reviews and followed the framework by Arksey and O'Malley. Original studies focusing on structural and functional neuroimaging of the hippocampus to study adult neurogenesis in long COVID-19 were included in the review. Studies published in English language with no restriction on the time of publication were searched using the specified search strategy in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and SCOPUS. Articles obtained from the database search were collated and uploaded into the Nested Knowledge AutoLit semi-automated systematic review platform for data extraction. The current review provides evidence of the potential alterations in adult neurogenesis in long COVID-19 and its potential link to neuropsychiatric sequelae of long COVID-19, with further research required to validate this assertion. This review proposes conceptual and methodological approaches for future investigations to address existing limitations and elucidate the precise role of adult neurogenesis in the pathophysiology and treatment of long COVID-19.