fNIRS-based evaluation of the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection central auditory processing

Abstract

Objectives: Coronavirus disease-2019 due to SARS-CoV-2 infection has been associated with neurological and neuropsychiatric illnesses as well as auditory system problems. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the central auditory system by assessing the hemodynamic activation changes using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Methods: Three participants who had SARS-CoV-2 infection (study group) and four participants who had no SARS-CoV-2 infection (control group) were included in the study. During the auditory oddball task in which two different frequencies of tonal stimulation were presented at 80 dB HL, the participants were asked to pay attention to the rare tonal stimulation and mentally count these target stimuli throughout the task. During this task, oxygenated hemodynamic response functions were evaluated with fNIRS. Results: Significantly increased oxygenated hemodynamic responses were observed in both groups during the task (p