V-079 | Cognitive impact and brain structural changes in long COVID patients two years post infection

Disorders of the Nervous System
Author: Martin Belzunce | Email: mbelzunce@unsam.edu.ar

Sol Cataldo^1°, Laura Margulis^2°,Florencia Sarmiento^1°, Melina Cibeyra^2°, Milagros Mena^3°, Raúl Melano^2°, Andrea Micciulli^2°, Martin Belzunce^1°4°

^1° Centro Universitario de Imágenes Médicas (CEUNIM), Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional de Gral. San Martín
^2° Unidad de Neuropsicología, Hospital Interzonal General de Agudos Eva Perón, San Martín, Buenos Aires
^3° Escuela de Humanidades, Universidad Nacional de Gral. San Martín
^4° CEMSC3, ICIFI CONICET-UNSAM

Long COVID, characterised by persistent symptoms after a SARS-CoV-2 infection, has become a pressing global health problem impacting the daily life of millons people around the globe. Many of these symptoms are neurocognitive, such as brain fog, memory and attention problems, and fatigue. In this cross-sectional study, we explore whether the presence of these self-reported cognitive symptoms correlates with changes in brain morphology and cognitive impairment approximately two years post-infection. The study involved 137 participants, 109 with long COVID symptoms and 28 healthy controls, who underwent a clinical assessment, completed a structured questionnaire and standardized scales of health related quality of life; underwent a cognitive assessment focused on executive functions; and had a brain MRI scan. Structural MRI images were processed using FreeSurfer and FSL to perform a morphometric analysis. Long COVID patients reported a lower self-perception of their health status, especially in terms of mental health, pain and fatigue. Despite their reported cognitive symptoms, cognitive tests did not reveal differences between groups. Brain MRI images showed decreased volumes across different regions (e.g. cerebellum and inferior parietal regions), and reduced cortical thickness in left and right postcentral gyri and precuneus. These results emphasize the need for comprehensive interventions and further longitudinal studies to understand the long-term effects of long COVID.