Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41094037›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Alterations of the amygdala in post-COVID olfactory dysfunction.

Divesh Thaploo, Lars-Patrick Schmill, Naomi Behrend, Svea Gerlach, Cornelia Fogel, Anne-Kathrin Ruß, Wolfgang Lieb, Stefan Schreiber, Walter Maetzler, Corina Maetzler and 10 more

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

20 authors.

Divesh Thaploo *Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Smell & Taste Clinic, Universitätsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany.
Lars-Patrick Schmill *Clinic for Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Straße 3, 24105, Kiel, Germany.
Naomi Behrend *Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Campus Kiel and Kiel University, Arnold-Heller-Straße 3, 24105, Kiel, Germany.
Svea Gerlach *Clinic for Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Straße 3, 24105, Kiel, Germany.
Cornelia FogelClinic for Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Straße 3, 24105, Kiel, Germany.
Anne-Kathrin RußInstitute of Medical Informatics and Statistics, Kiel University, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Campus Kiel, Brunswiker Straße 10, 24105, Kiel, Germany.
Wolfgang LiebInstitute of Epidemiology, Kiel University, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Campus Kiel, Niemannsweg 11, 24105, Kiel, Germany.
Stefan SchreiberInternal Medicine Department I, University Hospital Schleswig Holstein Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Straße 3, 24105, Kiel, Germany.
Walter MaetzlerNeurology Department, University Hospital Schleswig Holstein Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Straße 3, 24105, Kiel, Germany.
Corina MaetzlerNeurology Department, University Hospital Schleswig Holstein Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Straße 3, 24105, Kiel, Germany.
Michael KrawczakInstitute of Medical Informatics and Statistics, Kiel University, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Campus Kiel, Brunswiker Straße 10, 24105, Kiel, Germany.
Norman WeinertDepartment of Medical Informatics, University Medical Center Göttingen, Robert- Koch-Straße 40, 37075, Göttingen, Germany.
Thomas BahmerInternal Medicine Department I, University Hospital Schleswig Holstein Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Straße 3, 24105, Kiel, Germany.
Shimita RaquibFaculty of Medicine, Institute for Digital Medicine and Clinical Data Science, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Karin FiedlerFaculty of Medicine, Institute for Digital Medicine and Clinical Data Science, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Jörg Janne VehreschildFaculty of Medicine, Institute for Digital Medicine and Clinical Data Science, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Olav JansenClinic for Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Straße 3, 24105, Kiel, Germany.
Coralie MignotDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Smell & Taste Clinic, Universitätsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany.
Schekeb Aludin *Clinic for Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Straße 3, 24105, Kiel, Germany.
Martin Laudien *Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Campus Kiel and Kiel University, Arnold-Heller-Straße 3, 24105, Kiel, Germany. martin.laudien@uksh.de.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Olfactory dysfunction (OD) as a symptom of COVID-19 has received significant attention in research due to its high prevalence. While it is transient in the majority of individuals, post-COVID OD persists in a notable subset of patients even months to years after the acute infection. A deeper understanding of the underlying factors driving this phenomenon is essential. There is increasing evidence for an involvement of the central nervous system in this deficit. The objective of this study was to investigate the structural connectivity and integrity of white matter pathways in brain regions associated with olfactory processing using MRI with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in patients with persistent post-COVID OD. The study involved 61 patients, divided into two groups: 31 participants with post-COVID OD (PC-OlfDys) and 30 post-COVID normosmic controls (PC-N). For MRI analyses, a region of interest (ROI)-based approach and voxelwise statistical comparisons between the groups with age as a covariate was used. Fractional anisotropy (FA) in the left amygdala was higher in the PC-OlfDys than in the PC-N group, and radial diffusivity (RD) in the right amygdala was higher in the PC-OlfDys group than in PC-N. The PC-OlfDys group exhibited higher depression and anxiety scores, as measured by the eight-item Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 questionnaire, respectively. This study shows that post-COVID OD is associated with significant changes in the myelination or axonal diameter of olfactory-related brain regions. As the amygdala, putamen and piriform cortex (all involved in olfactory function and emotional well-being) showed associations with depression and anxiety scores, we hypothesise that post-COVID OD and depression and anxiety are interrelated, although the direction of this relationship remains to be elucidated.

Indexed as

AmygdalaCOVID-19Olfaction DisordersAdultAgedDiffusion Tensor ImagingFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedSARS-CoV-2White Matter

Identifiers

PMID41094037
PMCPMC12528667

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