How COVID can change brain circuits and cause long-term brain symptoms
Official title: Understanding Circuit Dysfunction in Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Funded at Yale University · NIH-11238500 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at brain circuit changes in people with long COVID who have cognitive problems, mood or sleep changes, dizziness, or autonomic symptoms.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project start | December 1, 2024 |
| Project end | October 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $710,841 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH138347-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11238500 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who previously had COVID-19 and now have ongoing brain-related symptoms such as memory or attention problems, new or worse anxiety or depression, sleep changes, dizziness, autonomic dysfunction, or neuropathy are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without a history of COVID or without ongoing neurological or neuropsychiatric symptoms are unlikely to benefit from joining this project.
What this research studies
You would be recruited mainly from Yale's NeuroCOVID Clinic and the COVID Mind Study, joining a group of people with persistent brain-related symptoms after COVID and a group of people without such symptoms. Participants will complete standardized cognitive and mood testing and detailed symptom questionnaires. Researchers will use advanced brain imaging and connectome methods to map circuit-level brain function and relate those findings to each person's symptoms. The goal is to link specific brain circuit changes to the types of problems you experience, like brain fog, anxiety, or dizziness.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help explain why long COVID causes persistent brain symptoms and point toward better diagnostics and targeted therapies.
How similar studies have gone: Prior imaging studies have shown brain changes after COVID, but using advanced connectome approaches to directly link circuit dysfunction to specific long-COVID symptoms is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Yale University
New Haven, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Constable, R Todd — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Constable, R Todd
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.