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

> **NIH NIH R21** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $439,694

## Abstract

This investigation will use state-of-the-art, quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging to
determine whether SARS-CoV-2 has effects on the brain that can be detected at one month and
at 6 months following mild to moderate COVID. Blood brain barrier integrity, cerebral blood
flow, cerebrovascular injury, subclinical structural alterations, brain network organization and
cognitive function will be evaluated. The findings will shed light on whether COVID confers
increased risk of neurovascular pathophysiologic changes and cerebral small vessel disease.
This investigation will determine whether brain alterations detected in the early recovery period
relate to known risk factors for COVID severity and to immune perturbances during the active
phase of illness. A comprehensive analysis of the brain in the early recovery period will yield
critical insights concerning the natural history of SARS-CoV-2 and the impact on the brain, and
will provide a valuable cohort for further longitudinal studies of the neurological consequences of
COVID.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10288639
- **Project number:** 1R21NS123871-01
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Yufen CHEN
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $439,694
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-08-01 → 2025-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10288639

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10288639, Neurological consequences of COVID-19 during the early recovery period: Imaging Analysis of the Blood Brain Barrier and Neurovascular alterations (1R21NS123871-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-07-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10288639. Licensed CC0.

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