Quantitative susceptibility changes in white matter and subcortical gray matter in long-COVID

Motivation: In long-COVID, symptoms persist long after COVID-19 infection. Long-COVID has been hypothesized to cause or accelerate neurodegeneration. Resulting neuroinflammation can cause changes in iron metabolism and myelin damage. Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) is well suited to measure these effects. Goal(s): Is magnetic susceptibility, measured with QSM, in subcortical gray matter and white matter different in individuals with long-COVID compared to controls? Approach: QSM images were collected and susceptibility was computed using a deep learning approach. Susceptibility was then compared between long-COVID participants and controls. Results: Long-COVID subjects exhibited lower susceptibility in white matter and higher susceptibility in subcortical gray matter. Impact: These results indicate QSM can detect changes related to persistent COVID symptoms, specifically iron accumulation and/or myelin damage. Future studies should look at the longitudinal nature of these changes.