Publication date: Mar 01, 2025

This study examined the regional distribution of glial activation in essential workers with neurological post-acute sequelae of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections (N-PASC). We injected ≤185 MBq of [F]-FEPPA as an intravenous bolus and positron-emission tomography over 2 h. To measure distribution volume (V) we recruited 24 essential workers (14 N-PASC, 10 Never-COVID-19 Controls, of whom 22 successfully placed arterial lines). Individuals with low binding affinity were excluded from this study, and V was adjusted for translocator protein genotype. Analyses that passed the false discovery rate are reported. Participants at midlife survived mild to moderate COVID-19 without hospitalization but reported onset of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) for, on average, 22 months before undergoing neuroimaging. Hippocampal V was higher (V = 1. 70, 95% C. I. = [1. 30-2. 21], p = 0. 001) in participants with persistent brain fog after COVID-19, reflecting an increase of 10. 58 mL/cm in V (area under the receiver-operating curve, AUC = 0. 95 [0. 85-1. 00]). At a cutoff of 10. 6, sensitivity/specificity/accuracy were 0. 88/0. 93/0. 91. The results from this study imply that neuroimmune response is a distinct and identifiable characteristic of brain fog after COVID-19. Results suggest that [F]-FEPPA could be used to support N-PASC diagnosis.

Semantics

Original Article