Impact of long‐COVID on the local and global efficiency of brain networks

• Published in: Clinical neuroimaging (Hoboken, N.J.) N.J.), 2024, Vol.1 (1-2), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Travi, Fermín, Hernández, Micaela A., Bianchi, Bruno, Crivelli, Lucía, Allegri, Ricardo F., Fernández Slezak, Diego, Calandri, Ismael L., Kamienkowski, Juan E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: cognitive impact; functional network analysis; long‐COVID; network efficiency; rs‐fMRI
• ISSN: 2837-3219; 2837-3219
• DOI: 10.1002/neo2.70001

Background and purpose Subjective cognitive complaints post‐COVID‐19, known as long‐COVID, have unclear effects on neural activity. This study explores the neural basis of these cognitive impairments by comparing resting‐state functional networks of long‐COVID individuals to a control group. Methods Forty‐two individuals with cognitive complaints persisting 24 weeks post COVID‐19 infection and 43 age‐, sex‐ and education‐matched healthy controls without a history of infection were studied using resting‐state functional MRI (rs‐fMRI) and the Uniform Data Set (UDS‐3) neurocognitive test battery (NCT). Neuropsychological scores were adjusted to the mean and grouped into seven cognitive composites. The rs‐fMRI data were partitioned into seven distinct functional neural networks—Salience/Ventral Attention, Dorsal Attention, Default, Frontoparietal, Visual, Somatomotor, and Limbic—and their efficiency, largest connected component, and modularity (Q) were studied. Results The NCT scores yielded statistically significant differences in long‐COVID subjects compared to controls at attention, language, memory, executive, and global composites. We observed significant differences (p