Neurological consequences of COVID-19 during the early recovery period: Imaging Analysis of the Blood Brain Barrier and Neurovascular alterations

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This investigation will use state-of-the-art, quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging to determine whether SARS-CoV-2 has effects on the brain that can be detected at one month and at 6 months following mild to moderate COVID. Blood brain barrier integrity, cerebral blood flow, cerebrovascular injury, subclinical structural alterations, brain network organization and cognitive function will be evaluated. The findings will shed light on whether COVID confers increased risk of neurovascular pathophysiologic changes and cerebral small vessel disease. This investigation will determine whether brain alterations detected in the early recovery period relate to known risk factors for COVID severity and to immune perturbances during the active phase of illness. A comprehensive analysis of the brain in the early recovery period will yield critical insights concerning the natural history of SARS-CoV-2 and the impact on the brain, and will provide a valuable cohort for further longitudinal studies of the neurological consequences of COVID.