Survivors of COVID-19 exhibit altered amplitudes of low frequency fluctuation in the brain: a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study at 1-year follow-up

• Published in: Neural regeneration research Vol. 17; no. 7; pp. 1576 - 1581
• Main Authors: Du, Yan-Yao, Zhao, Wei, Zhou, Xiang-Lin, Zeng, Mu, Yang, Dan-Hui, Xie, Xing-Zhi, Huang, Si-Hong, Jiang, Ying-Jia, Yang, Wen-Han, Guo, Hu, Sun, Hui, Liu, Ji-Yang, Liu, Ping, Zhou, Zhi-Guo, Luo, Hong, Liu, Jun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: India Wolters Kluwer India Pvt. Ltd 01.07.2022; Medknow Publications & Media Pvt. Ltd; Clinical Research Center for Medical Imaging in Hunan Province,Changsha,Hunan Province,China%Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine,The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University,Changsha,Hunan Province,China%Department of Respiratory Medicine,The First Hospital of Changsha,Changsha,Hunan Province,China%Department of Radiology,The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University,Changsha,Hunan Province,China; Clinical Research Center for Medical Imaging in Hunan Province,Changsha,Hunan Province,China; Department of Radiology Quality Control Center,Hunan Province,Changsha,Hunan Province,China; Department of Radiology,The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University,Changsha,Hunan Province,China%Department of Radiology,The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University,Changsha,Hunan Province,China; Wolters Kluwer - Medknow; Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
• Subjects: amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation; clinical study; coronavirus disease 2019; follow-up; functional magnetic resonance imaging; long-term physical consequences; neuropsychiatric sequelae; resting-state function; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Magnetic resonance imaging; clinical study; follow-up; coronavirus disease 2019; amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation; long-term physical consequences; resting-state function; neuropsychiatric sequelae; functional magnetic resonance imaging
• ISSN: 1673-5374; 1876-7958
• DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.327361

Although some short-term follow-up studies have found that individuals recovering from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) exhibit anxiety, depression, and altered brain microstructure, their long-term physical problems, neuropsychiatric sequelae, and changes in brain function remain unknown. This observational cohort study collected 1-year follow-up data from 22 patients who had been hospitalized with COVID-19 (8 males and 11 females, aged 54.2 ± 8.7 years). Fatigue and myalgia were persistent symptoms at the 1-year follow-up. The resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed that compared with 29 healthy controls (7 males and 18 females, aged 50.5 ± 11.6 years), COVID-19 survivors had greatly increased amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) values in the left precentral gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus of operculum, inferior frontal gyrus of triangle, insula, hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, fusiform gyrus, postcentral gyrus, inferior parietal angular gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, angular gyrus, thalamus, middle temporal gyrus, inferior temporal gyrus, caudate, and putamen. ALFF values in the left caudate of the COVID-19 survivors were positively correlated with their Athens Insomnia Scale scores, and those in the left precentral gyrus were positively correlated with neutrophil count during hospitalization. The long-term follow-up results suggest that the ALFF in brain regions related to mood and sleep regulation were altered in COVID-19 survivors. This can help us understand the neurobiological mechanisms of COVID-19-related neuropsychiatric sequelae. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University (approval No. 2020S004) on March 19, 2020.