Functional connectivity alterations associated with COVID-19-related sleep problems: a longitudinal resting-state fMRI study

Motivation: Quantitative MRI marker can reflect brain parenchyma alterations induced by virus. Goal(s): To investigate functional connectivity (FC) alterations in subjects with sleep problem before and after COVID-19 and 2-month follow-ups. Approach: Resting state functional MRI data were collected and analyzed, and correlations of FC and scores of depressions, stress and sleep were carried out. Results: At baseline, the elevated FC between the left hippocampus and the right superior frontal gyrus was correlated with depression score. Over the follow-up, FC related to emotional regulation, executive function, and memory decreased, while connectivity associated with semantic processing, attention, and audiovisual processing increased. Impact: This study provides new insight into the changes in brain function associated with sleep problem (SP) after COVID-19, and these changes may partially explain the development of SP.