Through analyzing MRI scans six months after patients have recovered from COVID-19, scientists have begun considering long-term neurological impacts of the disease.

By Mitchell Consky, CTVNews.ca writer

Published Nov 23, 2022 9:55 AM EST | Updated Nov 23, 2022 9:55 AM EST

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Steve Grove, a chaplain at Hennepin County Medical Center, holds the hand of a COVID-19 patient as he prays in a hospital room on Dec. 10, 2021, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Toronto, Ontario (CTV Network) -- New research has indicated that COVID-19 may be correlated with lasting changes in the human brain.

Through analyzing MRI scans six months after patients have recovered from COVID-19, researchers with the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) have begun considering long-term mental complications, which may be a result of the disease’s neurological impact.

The research is an effort to better understand reported symptoms largely associated with “long COVID” -- including difficulty concentrating, headaches, sleep problems, pins-and-needles sensations, and depression or anxiety.

"Group-level studies have not previously focused on COVID-19 changes in magnetic susceptibility of the brain, despite several case reports signaling such abnormalities," study co-author Sapna S. Mishra said in an RSNA press release.

"Our study highlights this new aspect of the neurological effects of COVID-19 and reports significant abnormalities in COVID survivors."

By analyzing advanced brain imaging, and weighing susceptibility for changes in blood, iron, and calcium, the study aimed to detect and monitor various neurologic conditions, including vascular malformations, brain tumors, strokes, and microbleeds.

Researchers evaluated imaging data of 46 COVID-recovered patients – all within six months of recovery -- and 30 scans of patients who have not recently contracted COVID.

Results showed that patients who recovered from COVID-19 had minor changes in the frontal lobe and brain stem compared to healthy controls. The clusters obtained in the frontal lobe primarily show differences in the white matter.

"These brain regions are linked with fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, depression, headaches and cognitive problems," Mishra said.

According to the press release, researchers also found a significant difference in the “right ventral diencephalon” of the brain stem, a region associated with the release of hormones, sensory and motor signals to the cerebral cortex, and the regulation of circadian rhythms.

"This study points to serious long-term complications that may be caused by the coronavirus, even months after recovery from the infection," Mishra said.

"The present findings are from the small temporal window. However, the longitudinal time points across a couple of years will elucidate if there exists any permanent change."