Changes in Brain Activation Patterns During Working Memory Tasks in People With Post-COVID Condition and Persistent...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Medical Imaging
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Post-COVID condition (PCC) frequently presents with neuropsychiatric symptoms.
• Understanding the neural underpinnings of PCC is crucial for effective management.
• Abnormal brain activation during cognitive tasks may underlie PCC-related deficits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate brain activation patterns in individuals with PCC during working memory (WM) tasks using BOLD-fMRI.
• To determine if altered brain activation in PCC correlates with cognitive, motor, or psychiatric symptoms.
• To explore the potential of BOLD-fMRI in detecting PCC-related neural abnormalities.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional cohort study involving participants with PCC and healthy controls.
• BOLD-fMRI was employed during N-back tasks with varying attentional/WM loads.
• Participants completed NIH Toolbox and PROMIS assessments for cognition, emotion, motor function, and general health.

Main Results:

• Participants with PCC exhibited greater overall brain activation and specific alterations in the right superior frontal gyrus compared to controls.
• PCC group showed reduced deactivation in default mode network regions.
• Poorer motor function, increased negative affect, perceived stress, and pain were observed in the PCC group, correlating with abnormal brain activation.

Conclusions:

• Individuals with PCC demonstrate compensatory neural processes, utilizing alternate brain regions and reorganized networks to maintain working memory performance.
• BOLD-fMRI is a sensitive tool for identifying brain abnormalities associated with quantitative neuropsychiatric symptoms in PCC.
• Findings highlight the link between neural alterations and the diverse clinical manifestations of Post-COVID condition.