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SARS-CoV-2 is associated with changes in brain structure in UK Biobank
Gwenaëlle Douaud1, Soojin Lee2, Fidel Alfaro-Almagro2
1FMRIB Centre, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. gwenaelle.douaud@ndcn.ox.ac.uk.
Nature
|March 7, 2022
Summary
COVID-19 infection, even in mild cases, is linked to brain changes like grey matter reduction and cognitive decline. These effects are observed even in non-hospitalized individuals, suggesting potential long-term neurological impacts.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Neuroimaging
- Infectious Disease
Background:
- COVID-19 is known to cause brain abnormalities.
- The effects of SARS-CoV-2 on the brain in milder cases are not well understood.
- Investigating these changes can reveal mechanisms of brain pathology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate longitudinal brain changes in individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to controls.
- To determine if milder COVID-19 cases exhibit detectable brain alterations.
- To explore potential mechanisms of COVID-19-related brain pathology.
Main Methods:
- Utilized UK Biobank data from 785 participants (aged 51-81) with pre-infection and post-infection MRI scans.
- Compared 401 SARS-CoV-2 positive cases with 384 controls, with an average of 141 days between diagnosis and the second scan.
- Analyzed grey matter thickness, tissue contrast, tissue damage markers, global brain size, and cognitive decline.
Main Results:
- SARS-CoV-2 cases showed greater grey matter reduction in orbitofrontal cortex and parahippocampal gyrus.
- Increased tissue damage markers were found in regions connected to the olfactory cortex.
- A greater reduction in global brain size and cognitive decline was observed in infected participants, even excluding hospitalized patients.
Conclusions:
- Longitudinal brain changes and cognitive decline are associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, irrespective of hospitalization status.
- Observed changes may indicate neuroinflammation, olfactory pathway spread, or sensory loss effects.
- Further research is needed to determine the reversibility and long-term persistence of these brain alterations.
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