Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41498966›Full record

ArticleEuropean archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience2026

Choroid plexus alterations in long COVID and their associations with IL-6.

Yuan Cao, Paulo Lizano, Alejandra P Garza, Ildiko Rita Dunay, Xiaoqin Zhou, Philipp A Reuken, Andreas Stallmach, Martin Walter, Meng Li, Bianca Besteher

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Yuan CaoDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, 07743, Jena, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3105-7654
Paulo LizanoDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7128-6697
Alejandra P GarzaInstitute of Inflammation and Neurodegeneration, Otto-von-Guericke University, 39106, Magdeburg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2993-7679
Ildiko Rita DunayCenter for Intervention and Research on adaptive and maladaptive brain Circuits underlying mental health (C-I-R-C), Halle-Jena-Magdeburg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9900-8605
Xiaoqin ZhouCenter of Biostatistics, Design, Measurement and Evaluation (CBDME), Department of Clinical Research Management, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 61004, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4375-9159
Philipp A ReukenDepartment of Internal Medicine IV, Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious diseases, Jena University Hospital, Jena, 07743, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7696-475X
Andreas StallmachDepartment of Internal Medicine IV, Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious diseases, Jena University Hospital, Jena, 07743, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6101-5244
Martin WalterDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, 07743, Jena, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7857-4483
Meng LiDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, 07743, Jena, Germany. Meng.Li@med.uni-jena.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8320-5241
Bianca BesteherDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, 07743, Jena, Germany. Bianca.Besteher@med.uni-jena.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7989-9298

Funding

National Institute of Health grants K23MH122701Project of High-level Teachers in Beijing Municipal Universities in the Period of 13th Five-year Plan nonethe DZPG (German Center for Mental Health) FKZ: 01EE2103
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 disrupts the choroid plexus (ChP) epithelium by binding to the ACE-2 receptor, causing blood cerebrospinal fluid barrier leakage and permitting interleukin (IL)-6 and pathogens into the brain, subsequently leading to demyelination, white matter (WM) damage in long COVID, and clinical worsening. The role of the ChP in long COVID and its relationships to WM integrity, IL-6, clinical symptoms, and ACEIs/ARBs medications remains unclear. Fifty-two long COVID individuals, 21 COVID-19 survivors, and 26 healthy controls (HCs) completed Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and interleukin (IL) -6 assessments. Manually segmented ChP volume and global free water corrected WM integrity was compared among groups, and consideration of ACE inhibition on the ChP was examined. Partial correlations explored relationships among ChP volume, IL-6, fractional anisotropy tissue (FAt), and symptoms. ChP changes were also assessed at baseline and after one year. Long COVID individuals showed higher MADRS (p < 0.001), lower MOCA score (p < 0.001), and smaller ChP volume (p = 0.02) among groups. Larger ChP volume was significantly correlated to higher IL-6 levels (r = 0.478, p = 0.005) in long COVID. No ChP volume differences were found over time in the long COVID group or HCs that transitioned to COVID-19 survivors. COVID-19 survivors had larger ChP volume at follow-up compared to baseline (p = 0.04). The smaller ChP in long COVID seems to involve persistent but low-grade blood-CSF barrier dysfunction and epithelial stress. IL-6 levels may affect ChP permeability and suggest ongoing neuroinflammation in the long COVID group.

Indexed as

Choroid PlexusInterleukin-6Post-Acute COVID-19 SyndromeWhite MatterAdultAgedFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedPost-Infectious DisordersSARS-CoV-2IL6 protein, humanInterleukin-6Choroid plexusFree waterInterleukin-6Long COVID

Identifiers

PMID41498966

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.