Neurological consequences of COVID-19 during the early recovery period: Imaging Analysis of the Blood Brain Barrier and Neurovascular alterations

In less than 9 months since COVID-19 was first reported, over 5 million Americans have been infected with SARS-CoV-2. This investigation will use state-of-the-art, quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging technologies to determine whether there are neurological consequences of SARS-CoV-2 in the early period following recovery from COVID-19. We will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of neurovascular complications in a cohort well-characterized for the active period of illness. We will evaluate altered blood brain barrier integrity, cerebral blood flow and cerebrovascular injury. We will also examine subclinical structural alterations, brain network organization and cognitive function. We will determine how brain alterations detected in the early recovery period relate to known risk factors for COVID-19 severity and to immune perturbances during the active phase of illness. This investigation will yield critical insights concerning the natural history of SARS-CoV-2 and the impact on the brain. These findings will shed light on whether COVID-19 confers increased risk of vascular pathophysiologic changes and cerebral small vessel disease. This comprehensive analysis of the brain in the early recovery period will provide a valuable cohort for further investigation of the neurological consequences of COVID-19 in longitudinal studies.