Observational studyBrain and behavior2023
Persistent post-COVID headache is associated with suppression of scale-free functional brain dynamics in non-hospitalized individuals.
Observational study in Brain and behavior, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- Functional brain abnormalities in post COVID-19 condition and their relationship with cognition.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Patients recovering from COVID-19 who presented with anosmia during their acute episode have behavioral, functional, and structural brain alterations.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- On the merits and potential of advanced neuroimaging techniques in COVID-19: A scoping review.NeuroImage. Clinical · 2024Article
- Persistent post-COVID headache is associated with suppression of scale-free functional brain dynamics in non-hospitalized individuals.Brain and behavior · 2023Observational
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
19 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
introductionPost-acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) syndrome (PACS) is a growing concern, with headache being a particularly debilitating symptom with high prevalence. The long-term effects of COVID-19 and post-COVID headache on brain function remain poorly understood, particularly among non-hospitalized individuals. This study focused on the power-law scaling behavior of functional brain dynamics, indexed by the Hurst exponent (H). This measure is suppressed during physiological and psychological distress and was thus hypothesized to be reduced in individuals with post-COVID syndrome, with greatest reductions among those with persistent headache.
methodsResting-state blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected for 57 individuals who had COVID-19 (32 with no headache, 14 with ongoing headache, 11 recovered) and 17 controls who had cold and flu-like symptoms but tested negative for COVID-19. Individuals were assessed an average of 4-5 months after COVID testing, in a cross-sectional, observational study design.
resultsNo significant differences in H values were found between non-headache COVID-19 and control groups., while those with ongoing headache had significantly reduced H values, and those who had recovered from headache had elevated H values, relative to non-headache groups. Effects were greatest in temporal, sensorimotor, and insular brain regions. Reduced H in these regions was also associated with decreased BOLD activity and local functional connectivity.
conclusionsThese findings provide new insights into the neurophysiological mechanisms that underlie persistent post-COVID headache, with reduced BOLD scaling as a potential biomarker that is specific to this debilitating condition.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.