Abstract #0732

Persistent anosmia following COVID-19 results in significant connectivity differences within olfactory regions: a resting state fMRI analysis

Jed Wingrove^1,2, Janine Makaronidis^1,2, Ferran Prados^2,3,4, Baris Kanber^2,3,4, Marios C Yiannakas³, Gloria Castellazzi^3,5,6, Claudia AM Gandini Wheeler-Kingshott^3,7,8, and Rachel Batterham^1,2

¹Centre for Obesity Research, University College London, London, United Kingdom, ²Biomedical Research Centre at UCLH and UCL, National Institute for Health Research, London, United Kingdom, ³NMR Research Unit, Queen Square MS Centre, Department of Neuroinflammation, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom, ⁴Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom, ⁵Department of Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy, ⁶IRCCS C., Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy, ⁷Brain Connectivity Centre, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy, ⁸Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy

Synopsis

Anosmia or loss of smell is a common COVID-19 symptom. We studied a group of individuals with persistent anosmia and those who had recovered olfactory function following COVID-19 infection as well as healthy volunteers. Using resting state EPI and seed based analysis we found significant differences in connectivity between olfactory nodes and prefrontal regions known to be involved in smell processing. Furthermore, our analysis also identified connectivity differences between olfactory regions and brain areas involved in appetite control, highlighting areas of the brain that may be affected by COVID-19 related anosmia.

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