Abstract #4964
High White Matter Fractional Anisotropy and Low Diffusivity in Participants with Post-acute Sequelae SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Huajun Liang1, Thomas Ernst1,2, Kenichi Oishi3, Meghann Ryan1, Eleanor Wilson4, Andrea Levine5, Eric Cunningham1, Shyamasundaran Kottilil4, and Linda Chang1,2,6
1Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States, 2Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States, 3Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States, 4Institute of Human Virology, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States, 5Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States, 6Department of Neurology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
Synopsis
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), a sensitive method to detect inflammatory or cytotoxic tissue changes, has been used to study brain microstructure in patients with COVID-19. At 2-3 months post-acute sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), prior reports found both higher or lower than normal white matter diffusivity in participants who had variable severity of clinical manifestations. We performed DTI and neuropsychiatric assessments in 20 participants with PASC. Individuals with PASC had lower diffusivity 6 months after the diagnosis, which correlated with greater fatigue. These diffusion findings may be due to glial proliferation and immune-response related cytotoxic edema.
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