Acute inflammation and fronto-striatal connectivity in the transition from acute to persistent fatigue after mild COVID-19: A longitudinal fMRI study
In this cohort of mild COVID-19 survivors, this study identifies acute inflammation (elevated CRP) as a significant predictor of post-COVID fatigue and suggests that reduced fronto-striatal connectivity may mediate the transition from acute to chronic fatigue. These findings highlight the fronto-striatal circuit as a potential imaging biomarker and point to the acute phase as a critical window for anti-inflammatory or neuromodulatory interventions. Further longitudinal and interventional studies are needed to validate these mechanisms and therapeutic strategies.
Authors
- Qiange Zhu
- Xuan Niu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1580-0209)
- Hai Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7050-3880)
- Jiayi Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1819-2998)
- Bo Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9750-179X)
- Hui Ma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6541-2001)
- Huijie Yuan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1620-3917)
- Tonghui Liu
- Tao Lu
- Yang Wang
- Ya’nan Zhu
- Pang Du
- Yi Chen
- Ming Zhang
- Baoqi Wang
Institutions
- Xidian University (CN)
- Medical College of Wisconsin (US)
- Yanan University Affiliated Hospital (CN)
- Xi'an Medical University (CN)
- Ankang City Central Hospital (CN)
- First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University (CN)
- Xian Yang Central Hospital (CN)
- Shaanxi Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CN)
- Hanzhong Central Hospital (CN)
- Baoji City Central Hospital (CN)
- Shangluo Central Hospital (CN)
- Yulin University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Brain Behavior & Immunity - Health
- Published
- 2026-02-09
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2026.101196
- Primary Topic
- Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00