Abnormal Brain Activation Patterns in Patients With Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) During Recovery: A fNIRS Study
Yuchen Ran, Shuang Wu, Shuai Liu, Chao Chen, Yangxi Li, Tianxin Gao, Yingwei Fan, Xiaoying Tang
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Abstract
COVID-19 has increased the likelihood of cognitive impairment in patients with post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC). There is a lack of direct evidence regarding the working memory performance of mild patients during the recovery period.
This study employed functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to construct a mixed effects model for PASC patients performing the N-back task, assessing brain activation levels and brain connectivity.
PASC patients exhibited abnormally low activation in the parietal lobe (β = −0.21) and abnormally high activation in the occipital lobe (β = 0.40). There was a significant reduction in brain connectivity within the frontal–parietal and frontal–occipital networks.
These findings suggest that PASC patients experience impaired fronto-parietal network connectivity, rely more on the visual cortex to compensate for executive function deficits, and use this as a compensatory mechanism to reduce overall cerebral blood oxygenation. This study provides evidence of altered brain activation patterns in PASC patients during the recovery period due to cognitive impairment.
Web | Journal of Biophotonics | Paywall
Yuchen Ran, Shuang Wu, Shuai Liu, Chao Chen, Yangxi Li, Tianxin Gao, Yingwei Fan, Xiaoying Tang
[Line breaks added]
Abstract
COVID-19 has increased the likelihood of cognitive impairment in patients with post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC). There is a lack of direct evidence regarding the working memory performance of mild patients during the recovery period.
This study employed functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to construct a mixed effects model for PASC patients performing the N-back task, assessing brain activation levels and brain connectivity.
PASC patients exhibited abnormally low activation in the parietal lobe (β = −0.21) and abnormally high activation in the occipital lobe (β = 0.40). There was a significant reduction in brain connectivity within the frontal–parietal and frontal–occipital networks.
These findings suggest that PASC patients experience impaired fronto-parietal network connectivity, rely more on the visual cortex to compensate for executive function deficits, and use this as a compensatory mechanism to reduce overall cerebral blood oxygenation. This study provides evidence of altered brain activation patterns in PASC patients during the recovery period due to cognitive impairment.
Web | Journal of Biophotonics | Paywall