Investigation of the effects of COVID-19 on the functional resting-state and respiratory-related organization of the brain using multimodal neuroimaging

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Since the outbreak of the COVID pandemic a year ago, it has become evident that the effects of the virus are not limited to the respiratory system and that several other organs, including the brain, heart, liver, skin and kidneys can be affected. In turn, COVID-19 causes a very wide range of symptoms, including neurological symptoms with some of these symptoms persisting several months after disease onset. Of particular interest are its effects on the brain. To this end, imaging has been used to study the effects of COVID on the brain and the results have suggested that many individuals suffer widespread damage in their brain tissue and that the extent of this damage is usually (but not always) related to the severity of the respiratory symptoms. The mechanisms that cause brain damage are also not understood yet. Importantly, almost all previous studies that have used neuroimaging to study the effects of COVID on the brain have used anatomical images, i.e. they have focused on brain structure. However, investigating the potential effects of COVID on brain function is also of great importance and yields significant potential for complementing anatomical studies. In this context, the main aim of the proposed work is to use neuroimaging to study brain function in COVID survivors. We will collect functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data both during the resting-state (i.e. subjects will just lie in the scanner), as well as during inhalation of mild carbon dioxide boluses and controlled breathing, when subjects will be instructed to breath at a specific rhythm and hold their breath. This will give us the opportunity to directly assess whether the processing of respiratory stimuli which take place in specific areas of the brain is affected by COVID. We will also collect anatomical images from all subjects and assess whether COVID effects on brain function and structure are related to each other. The proposed work will greatly enhance our knowledge on the wide range of symptoms caused by COVID, focusing on its potential effects on the functional organization of the brain and its respiratory control centers. In turn, this will contribute towards better, individualized short-term and long-term therapies.