TY - JOUR T1 - Slow but evident recovery from neocortical dysfunction and cognitive impairment in a series of chronic COVID-19 patients JF - Journal of Nuclear Medicine JO - J Nucl Med DO - 10.2967/jnumed.121.262128 SP - jnumed.121.262128 AU - Ganna Blazhenets AU - Nils Schröter AU - Tobias Bormann AU - Johannes Thurow AU - Dirk Wagner AU - Lars Frings AU - Cornelius Weiller AU - Philipp T Meyer AU - Andrea Dressing AU - Jonas A Hosp Y1 - 2021/03/01 UR - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/early/2021/03/31/jnumed.121.262128.abstract N2 - Cognitive impairment is a frequent complaint in coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) and can be related to cortical hypometabolism on 18F-FDG PET at the subacute stage. However, it is unclear if these changes are reversible. Methods: We prospectively assessed Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and 18F-FDG PET scans in 8 COVID-19 patients at the subacute (as no longer infectious) and chronic stages (approximately six months after symptom onset). The expression of the previously established COVID-19-related covariance pattern was analyzed at both stages to examine the time course of post-COVID-19 cognitive impairment. For further validation, we also conducted a conventional group analysis. Results: Follow-up 18F-FDG PET revealed a significant reduction of initial frontoparietal and, to a lesser extent, temporal glucose hypometabolism that was accompanied by a significant improvement in cognition. The expression of the previously established COVID-19-related pattern was significantly lower at follow-up and correlated inversely with MoCA performance. However, both 18F-FDG PET and cognitive assessment suggest a residual impairment. Conclusions: Although a significant recovery of regional neuronal function and cognition can be clearly stated, residuals are still measurable in some patients six months after the manifestation of COVID-19. Given the current pandemic situation and tremendous uncertainty concerning the long-term effects of COVID-19, the present study provides novel insights of highest medical and socioeconomic relevance. ER -