Neuroinflammation in post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) as assessed by [ 11 C]PBR28 PET correlates with vascular disease measures

  1. Michael B. VanElzakker
  2. Hannah F. Bues
  3. Ludovica Brusaferri
  4. Minhae Kim
  5. Deena Saadi
  6. Eva-Maria Ratai
  7. Darin D. Dougherty
  8. Marco L. Loggia

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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has triggered a consequential public health crisis of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), sometimes referred to as long COVID. The mechanisms of the heterogeneous persistent symptoms and signs that comprise PASC are under investigation, and several studies have pointed to the central nervous and vascular systems as being potential sites of dysfunction. In the current study, we recruited individuals with PASC with diverse symptoms, and examined the relationship between neuroinflammation and circulating markers of vascular dysfunction. We used [ 11 C]PBR28 PET neuroimaging, a marker of neuroinflammation, to compare 12 PASC individuals versus 43 normative healthy controls. We found significantly increased neuroinflammation in PASC versus controls across a wide swath of brain regions including midcingulate and anterior cingulate cortex, corpus callosum, thalamus, basal ganglia, and at the boundaries of ventricles. We also collected and analyzed peripheral blood plasma from the PASC individuals and found significant positive correlations between neuroinflammation and several circulating analytes related to vascular dysfunction. These results suggest that an interaction between neuroinflammation and vascular health may contribute to common symptoms of PASC.

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  1. Rapid Reviews Infectious Diseases

    Federico Turkheimer

    Review 2: "Neuroinflammation in Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) as Assessed by [11C]PBR28 PET Correlates with Vascular Disease Measures"

    The reviewers found the study to be interesting and original given it provides evidence of neuroinflammation in people with post-acute sequelae of COVID-19.

  2. Rapid Reviews Infectious Diseases

    Eric Guedj

    Review 1: "Neuroinflammation in Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) as Assessed by [11C]PBR28 PET Correlates with Vascular Disease Measures"

    The reviewers found the study to be interesting and original given it provides evidence of neuroinflammation in people with post-acute sequelae of COVID-19.

  4. Version published to 10.1101/2023.10.19.563117v1 on bioRxiv