EC Neurology

SARS-CoV-2 infection causes innate and acquired immune responses in the host. The immune response is crucial to eliminate the invading virus, however a persistent response might determine hyperinflammation and damage to host tissues. Although it was initially considered as a strictly respiratory disease, SARS-CoV-2 can disseminate to other organs, and symptoms are heterogeneous. In the brain, hyperinflammation and cytokine storm negatively affect cerebral oxygenation. Several symptoms may persist even months after infection. The need to find specific tools to alleviate SARS-CoV-2 post-infection symptoms has become urgent. In more than 10 years’ experience in using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) as a functional analysis technique to detect hemodynamic variation in brain areas, our group succeeded in obtaining 3 different hemodynamic states in patients who had COVID-19 disease and underwent neuromodulation treatment to alleviate Neuroinflammation symptoms. From 2015 to 2019, 22 subjects, with different symptoms, aged between 43 and 76 were recruited to assess their cerebrovascular function with NIRS. Between 2021 and 2022, 16 of 22 subjects adhered to NIRS re-evaluation 6-12 months after COVID-19. Subsequently, they underwent rehabilitation protocols for Neuroinflammation with Photobiomodulation. At the end of the treatment cycle (10 sessions, twice a week), they were re-evaluated with NIRS. Data obtained from pre-COVID (T0), post-COVID (T1) and post-treatment (T2) NIRS evaluations were compared in terms of hemodynamic states variation. Results showed that all subjects presented an increase in T2 vascular exchange activity above initial T0. Even after the partition into symptomatology, age, and gender group the average values showed positive results. None of the subjects experienced a worsening after the treatment cycle. The encouraging results obtained from our study continues to show the PBM treatment efficacy, particularly in alleviating post-COVID symptoms and that NIRS technique is needs to be considered more as a promising tool for brain investigation.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; Long COVID; Near-Infrared Spectroscopy; NIRS; Photobiomodulation; Neuromodulation Therapy

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