Abstract #2201

Brain GABA and glutathione measurements in convalescent COVID-19 subjects

Muhammad G. Saleh¹, Linda Chang^1,2,3, Huajun Liang¹, Meghann C Ryan¹, Eric Cunningham¹, Eleanor Wilson⁴, Andrea R Levine⁵, Shyamasundaran Kottilil⁵, and Thomas Ernst¹

¹Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States, ²Department of Neurology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States, ³Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States, ⁴Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States, ⁵Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States

Synopsis

COVID-19 infection was associated with lower plasma levels of glutathione (GSH), provoking oxidative stress; however, whether GSH levels are also lower in the brain is unknown. COVID-19 survivors (COVID+) also have higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders, possibly due to altered brain GABA. However, brain GABA and GSH levels have not been assessed in convalescent COVID-19 (COVID+) individuals. Using edited MRS, frontal grey matter (FGM) GSH were lower in male COVID+, and COVID+ individuals had greater age-related decline in FGM GSH, compared to uninfected controls. These findings suggest that male COVID+ individuals, especially the older subjects, are susceptible to oxidative stress.

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