ArticleBMC neurology2024
Cognitive impact and brain structural changes in long COVID patients: a cross-sectional MRI study two years post infection in a cohort from Argentina.
Article in BMC neurology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Health-related quality of life in COVID-19 patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of EQ-5D studies.Health and quality of life outcomes · 2025Pooled it
- Neuropsychological consequences three years post-covid-19 are persistent and have great impact on everyday activities.Journal of rehabilitation medicine · 2026Article
- Subjective and objective working memory deficits in the post-acute phase of COVID-19 in a clinical trial population.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Article
- Investigation of BOLD signal intensities in long COVID patients using 7T functional MRI.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Article
- Cognition and Long COVID: a Review.Current neurology and neuroscience reports · 2026Review
- EEG Signatures of COVID-19 Survival compared to close contacts and the Cuban EEG normative database.Clinical neurophysiology practice · 2026Article
- Longitudinal Monitoring of Brain Volume Changes After COVID-19 Infection Using Artificial Intelligence-Based MRI Volumetry.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Brain Volumetric Changes Post-COVID-19: A Systematic Review.Brain sciences · 2025Review
- Structural Brain Abnormalities and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Post-COVID Condition.NeuroImmune pharmacology and therapeutics · 2025Article
- Post-Acute COVID-19 Effects on Diagnostic Conversion Rates And Standardized Cognitive and Motor Test Scores in a Longitudinal Study of Independent, Community-Recruited Elderly Subjects.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2025Article
- Cognitive and Psychological Symptoms in Post-COVID-19 Condition: A Systematic Review of Structural and Functional Neuroimaging, Neurophysiology, and Intervention Studies.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translation · 2025Review
- Article
- Multimodal MRI reveals consistent basal ganglia and limbic system alterations in COVID-19 survivors.Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.) · 2025Article
- Deep learning analysis of long COVID and vaccine impact in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs): development of a risk calculator in a multicentric study.Frontiers in public health · 2025Observational
- Bias and generalizability of brain age prediction models: A multi-cohort evaluation with anatomical and interpretability insights.Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)Article
- Persistent Cerebral 18-FDG PET Changes in Patients With Long COVID Presenting With Fatigue and Post Exertional Malaise.Journal of primary care & community healthArticle
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13 authors.
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Abstract
objectiveLong COVID is a condition characterised by persistent symptoms after a SARS-CoV-2 infection, with neurological manifestations being particularly frequent. Existing research suggests that long COVID patients not only report cognitive symptoms but also exhibit measurable cognitive impairment. Neuroimaging studies have identified structural alterations in brain regions linked to cognitive functions. However, most of these studies have focused on patients within months of their initial infection. This study aims to explore the longer-term cognitive effects and brain structural changes in long COVID patients, approximately two years post-infection, in a cohort from San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
methodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study involving 137 participants: 109 with long COVID symptoms and 28 healthy controls. The participants underwent an initial clinical assessment, completed a structured questionnaire and standardised scales, underwent a cognitive assessment, and had a brain MRI scan. Structural MRI images were processed via FreeSurfer and FSL to obtain volumetric measures for subcortical and cortical regions, along with regional cortical thickness. Differences between groups for these variables were analysed using ANCOVA, with permutation tests applied to correct for multiple comparisons.
resultsLong COVID patients reported persistent cognitive symptoms such as memory problems and brain fog, with higher levels of fatigue and reduced quality of life compared to controls. Despite subjective cognitive complaints, cognitive tests did not reveal significant differences between groups, except for the TMT-A (p = 0.05). MRI analysis revealed decreased volume in the cerebellum (p = 0.03), lingual gyrus (p = 0.04), and inferior parietal regions (p = 0.03), and reduced cortical thickness in several areas, including the left and right postcentral gyri (p = 0.02, p = 0.03) and precuneus (p = 0.01, p = 0.02).
conclusionsThis study highlights the enduring impact of long COVID on quality of life and physical activity, with specific brain structural changes identified two years post-infection. Although cognitive tests did not show clear impairment, the observed brain atrophy and significant reduction in quality of life emphasize the need for comprehensive interventions and further longitudinal studies to understand the long-term effects of long COVID on cognition and brain health.
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