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COVID-19 patients who receive “oxygen therapy” or suffer from fever may witness a reduction in “gray matter volume” in the frontal-temporal network of the brain, according to a new study by researchers at Georgia State University and from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Gray matter is vital for information processing in the brain, and its abnormality can affect the functioning and communication of neurons.
India has been hit hard by the coronavirus, leading to an exponential increase in the total number of cases and subsequent deaths. Many patients who have recovered have also been diagnosed with black fungus. “People with severe cases of Covid-19 who need oxygen and / or a ventilator with prolonged hospitalization appear to be at a higher risk of developing neurological symptoms,” Dr Pavan told IndiaToday.In Pai, neurologist at Wockhardt Hospital.
The study claims that a lower volume of gray matter in the brain’s frontal-temporal network has been associated with a higher level of disability in COVID-19 patients, even six months after discharge from hospital, revealed the study.
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The study, published in the journal Neurobiology of Stress, indicates that gray matter in the frontal network could represent a central region for brain involvement in COVID-19, even beyond damage related to clinical manifestations of the disease. , such as stroke.
The researchers, who are affiliated with the university’s Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging and Data Science (TReNDS), analyzed CT scans in 120 neurological patients, including 58 with acute COVID-19 and 62 without COVID-19, matched for the age, sex and disease.
“Science has shown that the structure of the brain affects its function, and abnormal brain imaging has become a major feature of COVID-19,” said Kuaikuai Duan, study lead author, graduate research assistant at TReNDS and doctoral student at Georgia Tech’s School. of electrical and computer engineering.
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The analysis showed that patients with higher disability levels had lower gray matter volume. Gray matter volume was also significantly reduced in patients receiving oxygen therapy compared to patients not receiving oxygen therapy. Febrile patients had a significant reduction in gray matter volume in the inferior and middle temporal gyri and spindle-shaped gyrus compared to patients without fever. The results suggest that COVID-19 can affect the frontal-temporal network through fever or lack of oxygen.
A reduction in gray matter in the superior, medial and middle frontal gyri was also present in patients with agitation compared to patients without agitation. This implies that changes in gray matter in the frontal region of the brain may underlie mood disorders commonly presented by COVID-19 patients.
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