# Cerebrospinal Fluid in PASC: A Window into the COVID Mind

> **NIH NIH R01** · YALE UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $970,664

## Abstract

Abstract
Although severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) is considered a respiratory
pathogen, myriad neurologic complications including confusion, stroke, and neuromuscular disorders manifest
during acute COVID-19. Furthermore, maladies such as impaired concentration, headache, sensory
disturbances, depression, and even psychosis may persist for months following infection, as part of a
constellation of symptoms now called Post Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC). The pathophysiological
mechanisms of nervous system PASC (NS-PASC) are not well understood, although evidence to date
implicates immune dysfunction, including non-specific neuroinflammation and anti-neural autoimmune
dysregulation1. With millions of individuals affected, nervous system complications pose public health
challenges for rehabilitation and recovery and major disruptions in the workforce. There is an urgent need to
understand the pathophysiology of these disorders and develop disease modifying therapies. Through the
COVID Mind Study at Yale, we have initiated a longitudinal study to investigate the pathogenic mechanisms
of NS-PASC through examination of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), blood, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI),
alongside detailed clinical data in individuals with NS-PASC. In Aim 1, we will define the clinical and
immunological features through deep immunophenotyping of the CSF and blood, including assessment of
brain autoimmunity and altered T cell function. In Aim 2, we will assess for SARS-CoV-2 persistence in the
CSF and blood through single copy PCR and highly sensitive viral antigen detection assays. In Aim 3, we will
measure objective markers of nervous system dysfunction through brain MRI, neurocognitive testing, and CSF
and blood markers of neuronal injury, and will perform multivariate analysis to assess for the relationship
between immune perturbations, viral persistence, and objective measures of neurologic injury.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10554972
- **Project number:** 3R01MH125737-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** YALE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Joshua Charles Cyktor
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $970,664
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2022-08-04 → 2024-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10554972

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10554972, Cerebrospinal Fluid in PASC: A Window into the COVID Mind (3R01MH125737-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10554972. Licensed CC0.

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