Biomarkers

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Radiology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• COVID-19 is suspected to affect brain health, with clinical MRI showing varied neurological signs.
• This study investigates neuroimaging, cognitive, and plasma biomarkers in recovered COVID-19 patients based on hospitalization status.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare neuroimaging biomarkers, cognitive function, and plasma biomarkers between hospitalized and non-hospitalized COVID-19 survivors.
• To identify lasting neurological impacts of severe COVID-19 illness.

Main Methods:

• 179 participants underwent 7T MRI, cognitive tests (MoCA, memory, psychomotor speed), and blood collection.
• Neuroimaging included morphometry, white matter hyperintensity (WMH) segmentation, and hippocampal subfield analysis.
• Statistical analyses compared hospitalized (n=52) and non-hospitalized (n=111) groups using t-tests and ANCOVA.

Main Results:

• Hospitalized patients had smaller hippocampal volumes (total, right CA1) and lower cognitive scores (MoCA, Trail Making Test B, memory, visuospatial construction).
• WMH burden showed different associations with cognitive scores in hospitalized versus non-hospitalized groups.
• Hippocampal volume associations with cognitive scores also differed significantly between the groups, with no plasma biomarker differences detected.

Conclusions:

• Hospitalization for COVID-19 is associated with poorer cognitive performance and reduced hippocampal volumes.
• Distinct relationships between brain imaging markers and cognitive function were observed in hospitalized patients.
• These findings underscore the persistent neurological effects of severe COVID-19 illness.