ArticleEuropean radiology experimental2022
Wearing a KN95/FFP2 facemask induces subtle yet significant brain functional connectivity modifications restricted to the salience network.
Article in European radiology experimental, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Effects of face coverings on people and interactions in mental health settings: scoping review.BJPsych open · 2025Review
- Wearing a KN95/FFP2 facemask has no measureable effect on functional activity in a challenging working memory n-back task.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2024Article
- Task-related oxygenation in the prefrontal cortex as a function of mask-wearing frequency: An empirical test using functional near-infrared spectroscopy.Neuroimage. Reports · 2023Article
- The impact of wearing a KN95 face mask on human brain function: evidence from resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging.Frontiers in neurology · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe use of facemasks is one of the consequences of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to search for subtle changes in brain functional connectivity, expected notably related to the high-level salience network (SN) and default mode network (DMN).
methodsProspective crossover design resting 3-T fMRI study with/without wearing a tight FFP2/KN95 facemask, including 23 community-dwelling male healthy controls aged 29.9 ± 6.9 years (mean ± standard deviation). Physiological parameters, respiration frequency, and heart rate were monitored. The data analysis was performed using the CONN toolbox.
resultsWearing an FFP2/KN95 facemask did not impact respiration or heart rate but resulted in a significant reduction in functional connectivity between the SN as the seed region and the left middle frontal and precentral gyrus. No difference was found when the DMN, sensorimotor, visual, dorsal attention, or language networks were used as seed regions. In the absence of significant changes of physiological parameter respiration and heart rate, and in the absence of changes in lower-level functional networks, we assume that those subtle modifications are cognitive consequence of wearing facemasks.
conclusionsThe effect of wearing a tight FFP2/KN95 facemask in men is limited to high-level functional networks. Using the SN as seed network, we observed subtle yet significant decreases between the SN and the left middle frontal and precentral gyrus. Our observations suggest that wearing a facemask may change the patterns of functional connectivity with the SN known to be involved in communication, social behavior, and self-awareness.
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