Lyme disease brain health: tracking brain signals and blood clues after treatment
Official title: Neuroimaging and blood markers in post treatment Lyme disease with persistent neurologic symptoms
Funded at Johns Hopkins University · NIH-11399938 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study follows people with early Lyme disease and compares them to healthy volunteers to see how the brain and blood markers change over a year after starting antibiotics.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $524,792 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI178774-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11399938 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults recently diagnosed with early Lyme disease who will begin antibiotic treatment and are able to undergo MRI scans; healthy controls without a history of Lyme disease.
✕Less likely to help
People not meeting the MRI or timing requirements, or those with contraindications to MRI, may not benefit.
What this research studies
If you have early Lyme disease, researchers will look at brain activity and blood signals right after antibiotics and again at 6 and 12 months to understand why some people have ongoing neurocognitive symptoms after treatment. They will use functional MRI to observe white matter changes and collect related blood marker data. The goal is to uncover how brain healing happens after Lyme and how it relates to symptoms and recovery. This work could help explain PTLD and guide future therapies or monitoring after treatment.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could improve understanding of PTLD and lead to better monitoring and tailored care after Lyme disease.
How similar studies have gone: Prior data suggest brain changes associate with symptoms and recovery, but the exact course and mechanisms are still being explored, making this a novel/informative step.
Where this research is happening
-
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Marvel, Cherie L — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Marvel, Cherie L
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Understanding why some people have ongoing symptoms after Lyme disease
A long-term study follows people diagnosed with acute Lyme disease to see who develops persistent symptoms and why, with care from a team of Lyme experts.
-
CSF Protein Map in Post-Treatment Lyme Disease
A short study to map proteins in spinal fluid of people who had Lyme disease and still feel sick after standard treatment, to understand what’s going on.
-
Lyme disease vaccine research aimed at preventing infection
Researchers are developing a Lyme disease vaccine by studying how the immune system responds to Borrelia burgdorferi and testing vaccine approaches to prevent illness.
-
Lyme disease symptoms lingering after treatment may be driven by special bacterial fragments
A human-friendly look at a study exploring why some Lyme patients keep symptoms after antibiotics and whether tiny fragments from the bacteria are to blame.
-
Understanding Lyme disease immune signals to predict recovery after antibiotics
A research project at MIT aims to find immune biomarkers that tell which Lyme patients will recover after standard antibiotics and who might have lasting symptoms.
-
Imaging Lyme disease with special PET tracers
A new imaging tool using PET probes is being developed to visualize Lyme disease in people affected by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato.
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.