Microstructural changes in the brain in persons with mild COVID-19

BACKGROUND: The purpose of which was to investigate, using voxel-based MR morphometry, changes in the volume of brain structures in persons who had undergone a new coronavirus disease.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: 34 patients with mild COVID-19 between 4 months and one year were examined. All study participants were scanned at two time points: before COVID-19 infection and re-imaging after infection. The comparison group consisted of 30 healthy volunteers who did not have COVID-19 and were comparable in terms of sex, age, timing and MRI protocol.

RESULTS: In the main and control groups a significant increase in the volume of individual segments of the large hemisphere cortex, subcortical gray matter, and white matter of the brain was detected. Signs of atrophic process were registered in the cerebellar cortex and left frontal lobe. In the main group there was an increase of cortical volume practically in all cerebral lobes with some emphasis on the posterior parts of the right hemisphere. When analyzing changes of subcortical gray matter in the main group, there was reliable (p ≤ 0.05) increase of its total volume due to left caudate nucleus, pale ball, right amygdala body and ventral diencephalon. Increased volume of white matter of the brain in COVID-19 patients was detected in the left isthmus and rostral part of the right cingulate gyrus, left paracentral lobe, and right precuneus.

CONCLUSION: the cerebellum is affected quite early by SARS-CoV-2, as we recorded atrophic changes in its cortex at 4–12 months. In COVID-19, the microstructural integrity, predominantly of gray matter and other brain segments, is impaired. Increased volume of these structures indicates the duration of the inflammatory process. An increase in the volume of these structures may indicate the duration of the inflammatory process.