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Neural alterations in viral pneumonia patients comorbid with insomnia in a Chinese population: Insight from
Chao Ju1, Longtao Yang1, Chong Liu2
1Department of Radiology, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.
Background:
Emerging evidence suggests that viral pneumonia can affect the central nervous system (CNS), potentially leading to neuropsychiatric sequelae. However, the specific impact of viral pneumonia comorbid with insomnia on cortical morphology remains unclear. This study aimed to identify neural markers-specifically cortical grey matter volume (GMV), thickness, and surface area-in patients recovering from Omicron infection with and without insomnia.
Methods:
In this prospective cross-sectional study, a total of 172 age-, sex-, and education-matched participants were finally analyzed (57 HCs, 64 Omicron_non_insomnia, and 51 Omicron_insomnia) during the Omicron pandemic (December 2022-May 2023). Insomnia symptoms were screened by a Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score > 5. Cortical morphology was evaluated using surface-based morphometry (SBM) analysis based on T1-weighted MPRAGE images. Morphological metrics were correlated with neuropsychiatric assessment scores.
Results:
Viral pneumonia patients exhibited altered cortical morphology compared to HCs. Significant changes in the temporal, frontal, and cingulate gyrus, as well as the transverse collateral and lingual gyrus, were observed regardless of insomnia comorbidity. Notably, decreased cortical thickness in the left superior temporal gyrus (STG) was identified as a candidate imaging correlate of viral infection comorbid with insomnia. Furthermore, greater cortical size in these regions was significantly correlated with improved neuropsychiatric performance (all P < 0.05).
Conclusions:
Our findings delineate distinct patterns of cortical atrophy following Omicron infection and highlight STG thinning as a potential biomarker for insomnia-related CNS involvement. These neural markers provide insight into the mechanisms of post-viral neuropsychiatric sequelae and may guide clinical management and prognostic evaluation.
