COVID-19 patients receiving oxygen therapy or experiencing a fever show a reduced volume of gray matter in the frontal-temporal network of the brain.
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May
17, 2021
2 min read
COVID-19 patients who receive oxygen therapy or experience fever show a reduced volume of gray matter in the frontal-temporal network of the brain, according to a recent study from Georgia State University and the Georgia Institute of Technology, in the United States.
According to the research, published in the journal Neurobiology of Stress , it was found that a lower volume of gray matter in this region of the brain was associated with a higher level of disability among COVID-19 patients, even six months later from hospital discharge.
According to the SciTechDaily site, gray matter is essential for processing information in the brain and this alteration in its volume can affect the functioning and communication of neurons.
The researchers, affiliated with the Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging and Data Science (TReNDS), studied CT scans in 120 neurological patients, including 58 with acute COVID-19 and 62 without COVID-19, matched for age, gender and disease. They found “brain abnormalities” and that patients with higher levels of disability had a smaller volume of gray matter in the frontal regions of the brain.
The study findings could be used as a biomarker to evaluate treatment options for the disease.