Glial Activation Among Individuals with Neurological Post-Acute Sequelae of Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Positron Emission Tomography Study of Brain Fog Using [18F]-FEPPA

Details

• Personal Author:
  Babalola T ; Clouston SAP ; DeLorenzo C ; Fontana A ; Gardus J III ; Huang C ; Luft BJ ; Parsey R ; Soriolo N ; Vaska P
• Description:
  Background: This study examined the regional distribution of glial activation in essential workers with neurological post-acute sequelae of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections (N-PASC). Methods: We injected ≤185 MBq of [18F]-FEPPA as an intravenous bolus and positron-emission tomography over 2 h. To measure distribution volume (VT) we recruited 24 essential workers (14 N-PASC, 10 Never-COVID-19 Controls, of whom 22 successfully placed arterial lines). Individuals with low binding affinity were excluded from this study, and VT was adjusted for translocator protein genotype. Analyses that passed the false discovery rate are reported. Results: Participants at midlife survived mild to moderate COVID-19 without hospitalization but reported onset of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) for, on average, 22 months before undergoing neuroimaging. Hippocampal VT was higher (VT = 1.70, 95% C.I. = [1.30-2.21], p = 0.001) in participants with persistent brain fog after COVID-19, reflecting an increase of 10.58 mL/cm3 in VT (area under the receiver-operating curve, AUC = 0.95 [0.85-1.00]). At a cutoff of 10.6, sensitivity/specificity/accuracy were 0.88/0.93/0.91. Conclusion: The results from this study imply that neuroimmune response is a distinct and identifiable characteristic of brain fog after COVID-19. Results suggest that [18F]-FEPPA could be used to support N-PASC diagnosis. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Immune System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Post-acute Sequelae Of COVID-19 Brain Fog Brain Function COVID-19 Essential Workers FEPPA Glial Activation Imaging Techniques Immune Reaction Neurological Reactions Positron Emission Tomography Respiratory Infection SARS-CoV-2 Translocator Protein

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• ISSN:
  2666-3546
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Atlanta Region [OSHA] ; Georgia ; New York ; New York City Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  44
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070598
• Citation:
  Brain Behav Immun Health 2025 Mar; 44:100945
• Contact Point Address:
  Sean A.P. Clouston, Program in Public Health, 101 Nichols Rd., Health Sciences Center, #3Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
• Email:
  sean.clouston@stonybrookmedicine.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Performing Organization:
  State University of New York at Stony Brook
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20210701
• Source Full Name:
  Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d698fd12a7ab10da97df3ec7af10c493be46ea2e03bd5c29768c42a4d68c22bb0707e13f0bf0a9b1d6ea8b28c3d07de641380af650dcabaee4f9ecc7603396d3
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208777/cdc_208777_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.84 MB ]