GRAHAM LAB

GRAHAM LAB

NeuroCOVID-19

Since April 2020, the Graham Lab has been conducting the NeuroCOVID study, which investigates the impact of Long COVID on brain function. Long COVID involves debilitating physical and mental symptoms. Although the mechanisms are not well understood, it likely involves changes in how the brain controls automatic processes in the body (respiration, heartbeat, etc.). The study uses advanced neuroimaging combined with special challenge tasks to understand how brain function is affected for those with Long COVID that cannot tolerate exertion. This information will be used to better diagnose, inform, and treat patients with this debilitating condition.

The key goal of this project is to establish the neural underpinnings of post-exertional malaise, and their relationship with peripheral biomarkers and self-reported symptoms.

fneur-14-1136408-g002
(A) Significant connections between regions of interest (ROIs) are shown as lines with their colors representing effect strength (BSR); warm colors indicating increased connectivity in the COVID-19 group and cool colors for decreased connectivity. Node size reflects the number of significant connections. (B) A heatmap displays the percentage of significant connections between pairs of lobes, with a ‘*’ indicating significantly elevated connections. (C) A scatterplot shows mean connectivity in regions of significant decrease, comparing COVID-19 and control groups; boxplots represent group means and 95%CIs.
Altered network functional connectivity for individuals with COVID-19 relative to controls (Churchill, et al., 2023).

Long-Haul COVID-19 and the Brain

As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, it is clear that many people experience persistent symptoms even after recovering from the virus. These "long-haul" symptoms, including fatigue, brain fog, and cognitive and psychiatric complaints, suggest that COVID-19 is having an impact on brain function. Current literature estimates that hundreds of thousands of Canadians and millions worldwide may suffer from these symptoms, which affect daily activities and quality of life.

In collaboration with the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care and St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, the NeuroCOVID19 project aims to assess the neurological effects of long-haul COVID-19 through:

  • Behavioural assessments of sensation, cognition, and emotion.
  • Symptom self-reports from participants.
  • Electroencephalography (EEG) to measure brain electrical activity.
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine brain structure and function.

If you are interested in becoming a participant in the NeuroCOVID-19 study, please reach out to . 

Ongoing Work

Recruitment and data collection for the original longitudinal cohort has been completed. Data analysis is currently underway. We will soon begin recruitment for a sub-group of Long COVID participants with post-exertional malaise (PEM).

Recent Publications

Effects of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome on cerebral white matter and emotional health among non-hospitalized individuals
Churchill, N. W., Roudaia, E., Chen, J. J., Sekuler, A., Gao, F., Masellis, M., Lam, B., Cheng, I., Heyn, C., Black, S. E., MacIntosh, B. J., Graham, S. J., & Schweizer, T. A. (2024).

Frontiers in Neurology, 15, 1432450. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2024.1432450‌

Persistent fatigue in post-acute COVID syndrome is associated with altered T1 MRI texture in subcortical structures: a preliminary investigation
Chruchill, N. W., Roudaia, E., Chen, J. J., Sekuler, A., Gao, F., Masellis, M., Lam, B., Cheng, I., Heyn, C., Black, S. E., MacIntosh, B. J., Graham, S. J., & Schweizer, T.A. (2024).

Behavioural Brain Research, 469, 115045. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2024.115045‌

Persistent post-COVID headache is associated with suppression of scale-free functional brain dynamics in non-hospitalized individuals
Churchill, N. W., Roudaia, E., Chen, J. J., Gilboa, A., Sekuler, A., Ji, X., Gao, F., Lin, Z., Masellis, M., Goubran, M., Rabin, J. S., Lam, B., Cheng, I., Fowler, R., Heyn, C., Black, S. E., MacIntosh, B. J., Graham, S. J., & Schweizer, T. A. (2023).

Brain and Behavior, 13(11). https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.3212

Feasibility of diffusion‐tensor and correlated diffusion imaging for studying white‐matter microstructural abnormalities: Application in COVID‐19

Teller, N., Chad, J. A., Wong, A., Gunraj, H., Ji, X., Maged Goubran, Asaf Gilboa, Roudaia, E., Sekuler, A., Churchill, N., Schweizer, T., Gao, F., Masellis, M., Lam, B., Heyn, C., Cheng, I., Fowler, R., Black, S. E., MacIntosh, B. J., & Graham, S. J. (2023).

Human Brain Mapping, 44(10), 3998–4010. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.26322‌

Effects of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome on the functional brain networks of non-hospitalized individuals.

Churchill, N. W., Roudaia, E., Chen, J. J., Asaf Gilboa, Sekuler, A., Ji, X., Gao, F., Lin, Z., Jegatheesan, A., Masellis, M., Goubran, M., Rabin, J. S., Lam, B., Cheng, I., Fowler, R., Heyn, C., Black, S. E., MacIntosh, B. J., Graham, S. J., & Schweizer, T. A. (2023).

Frontiers in Neurology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2023.1136408 

MRI Assessment of Cerebral Blood Flow in Nonhospitalized Adults Who Self-Isolated Due to COVID-19.

Kim, S. H. W., Ji, X., Roudaia, E., Chen, J. J., Gilboa, A., Sekuler, A., Gao, F., Lin, Z., Jegatheesan, A., Masellis, M., Goubran, M., Rabin, J. S., Lam, B., Cheng, I., Fowler, R., Heyn, C., Black, S. E., Graham, S. J., & MacIntosh, B. J. (2022).

Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 58(2), 593–602. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmri.28555‌

Brain structure and function in people recovering from COVID-19 after hospital discharge or self-isolation: a longitudinal observational study protocol.

MacIntosh, B. J., Ji, X., Chen, J. J., Gilboa, A., Roudaia, E., Sekuler, A. B., Gao, F., Chad, J. A., Jegatheesan, A., Masellis, M., Goubran, M., Rabin, J., Lam, B., Cheng, I., Fowler, R., Heyn, C., Black, S. E., & Graham, S. J. (2021).

CMAJ Open, 9(4), E1114–E1119. https://doi.org/10.9778/cmajo.20210023‌