Novel imaging technique captures the effects of COVID-19 on the brain

Researchers at Rotman, saw Wong’s imaging discovery and thought it could likely also be used to identify changes to the brain due to COVID-19. Subsequent tests proved that theory right. The CDI imaging of frontal-lobe white matter revealed a less restricted diffusion of water molecules in COVID-19 patients. At the same time, it showed a more restricted diffusion of water molecules in the cerebellum of patients with COVID-19.

Wong highlights that the two regions of the brain react differently to COVID-19 and points to two key findings from the research. First, the human cerebellum might be more vulnerable to COVID-19 infections. Second, the study reinforces the idea that COVID-19 infections can lead to changes in the brain.

Reference: Feasibility of diffusion-tensor and correlated diffusion imaging for studying white-matter microstructural abnormalities: Application in COVID-19, which involves Wong and his student Hayden Gunraj as co-authors, is published in the journal Human Brain Mapping.