Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Demyelination in Patients with Post-COVID Depression

Version 1 : Received: 10 December 2023 / Approved: 11 December 2023 / Online: 11 December 2023 (15:14:37 CET)

How to cite: Khodanovich, M.; Svetlik, M.; Kamaeva, D.; Usova, A.; Kudabaeva, M.; Anan’ina, T.; Vasserlauf, I.; Pashkevich, V.; Moshkina, M.; Obukhovskaya, V.; Kataeva, N.; Levina, A.; Tumentceva, Y.; Vasilieva, S.; Schastnyy, E.; Naumova, A. Demyelination in Patients with Post-COVID Depression. Preprints 2023, 2023120698. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.0698.v1 Khodanovich, M.; Svetlik, M.; Kamaeva, D.; Usova, A.; Kudabaeva, M.; Anan’ina, T.; Vasserlauf, I.; Pashkevich, V.; Moshkina, M.; Obukhovskaya, V.; Kataeva, N.; Levina, A.; Tumentceva, Y.; Vasilieva, S.; Schastnyy, E.; Naumova, A. Demyelination in Patients with Post-COVID Depression. Preprints 2023, 2023120698. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.0698.v1

Abstract

Depression is one of the most severe sequelae of COVID-19, with major depressive disorder often characterized by disruption in white matter (WM) connectivity , stemming from changes in brain myelination. This study aimed to quantitatively assess brain myelination in clinically diagnosed post-COVID depression using recently proposed MRI method, macromolecular proton fraction (MPF) mapping. The study involved 63 recovered COVID-19 patients (52 mild, 11 moderate, 2 severe) at 13.5±10.0 months post-recovery, with matched controls without prior COVID-19 history (n=19). A post-COVID depression group (PCD, n=25) was identified based on psychiatric diagnosis, while a comparison group (noPCD, n=38) included participants with neurological COVID-19 complications, excluding clinical depression. Fast MPF mapping revealed extensive demyelination in PCD patients, particularly in juxtacortical WM (predominantly occipital lobe and medial surface), WM tracts (inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), posterior thalamic radiation, external capsule, sagittal stratum, tapetum), and grey matter (GM) structures (hippocampus, putamen, globus pallidus, and amygdala). The noPCD group also displayed notable demyelination but with less magnitude and propagation. Multiple regression analysis highlighted IFOF demyelination as the primary predictor of PCD presence and severity according to Hamilton scores. The number of post-COVID symptoms was a significant predictor of PCD presence while the number acute of symptoms was a significant predictor of PCD severity. This study, for the first time, reveals extensive demyelination in numerous WM and GM structures in PCD, outlining IFOF demyelination as a key biomarker.

Keywords

COVID-19; post-COVD; long COVID, depression; demyelination; white matter; magnetic reso-nance imaging; MRI; macromolecular proton fraction; MPF; major depressive disorder

Subject

Medicine and Pharmacology, Neuroscience and Neurology

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