Wang Yao, Yang Ziwei, Zheng Xiumei, Liang Xiao, Wu Lin, Wu Chengsi, Dai Jiankun, Cao Yuan, Zeng Xianjun, Li Meng, Zhou Fuqing
Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi Province, China.
Jiangxi Province Medical Imaging Research Institute, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi Province, China.
Brain Struct Funct. 2025 Jan 27;230(2):36. doi: 10.1007/s00429-025-02895-8.
A significant proportion of patients who have recovered from COVID-19 suffer from persistent symptoms, referred to as "post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC)". Abnormal brain intrinsic activity has been observed in PASC patients, but the patterns of frequency-dependent intrinsic activity in the PASC and non-PASC (recovered COVID-19 patients without persistent symptoms) groups and their association with neuropsychiatric sequelae remain unclear in PASC. Twenty-nine PASC patients, 27 non-PASC subjects, and 31 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. The voxel-level fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) was calculated in different frequency bands (typical frequency band: 0.01-0.10 Hz; slow 5: 0.01-0.023 Hz; slow 4: 0.023-0.073 Hz) to assess regional intrinsic activity patterns within different groups. Correlation analyses were performed to explore the associations between frequency-dependent alterations and clinical variables. Significant frequency-dependent alterations in intrinsic activity patterns were observed in both the PASC and non-PASC groups, primarily involving regions of the default mode network (DMN). The decreased fALFF values of the DMN in different frequency bands were associated with different symptoms in PASC. For example, decreased fALFF in the left precuneus in the typical frequency band was related to general attention impairment in PASC, whereas decreased fALFF in the left superior frontal gyrus appeared in non-PASC. The fALFF alterations in the left precuneus/posterior cingulate gyrus in the slow 5 band were also related to cognitive performance in PASC. Additionally, in the slow 4 band, decreased fALFF in the right angular gyrus was associated with depressive symptoms in the PASC. Our results may provide insights into the potential neural mechanisms underlying symptoms in PASC patients.
相当一部分从新冠病毒疾病（COVID-19）中康复的患者存在持续症状，即“新冠病毒感染后急性后遗症（PASC）”。在PASC患者中已观察到大脑固有活动异常，但PASC组和非PASC组（无持续症状的新冠病毒康复患者）频率依赖性固有活动模式及其与神经精神后遗症的关联在PASC中仍不清楚。招募了29名PASC患者、27名非PASC受试者和31名健康对照者（HC）。计算不同频段（典型频段：0.01-0.10赫兹；慢波5：0.01-0.023赫兹；慢波4：0.023-0.073赫兹）的体素级低频振幅（fALFF），以评估不同组内的区域固有活动模式。进行相关性分析以探索频率依赖性改变与临床变量之间的关联。在PASC组和非PASC组中均观察到固有活动模式存在显著的频率依赖性改变，主要涉及默认模式网络（DMN）区域。不同频段DMN的fALFF值降低与PASC中的不同症状相关。例如，典型频段左侧楔前叶的fALFF值降低与PASC中的一般注意力损害有关，而非PASC中左侧额上回的fALFF值降低。慢波5频段左侧楔前叶/后扣带回的fALFF改变也与PASC中的认知表现有关。此外，在慢波4频段，右侧角回的fALFF值降低与PASC中的抑郁症状有关。我们的结果可能为深入了解PASC患者症状背后的潜在神经机制提供线索。
