Coupling Between Neural Oscillations and White Matter Integrity Reveals Cognitive Computational Profiles Following COVID-19

Coupling Between Neural Oscillations and White Matter Integrity Reveals Cognitive Computational Profiles Following COVID-19 | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Coupling Between Neural Oscillations and White Matter Integrity Reveals Cognitive Computational Profiles Following COVID-19 Alejandra Figueroa-Vargas, Leonie Kausel, Ximena Stecher, Francisco Zamorano, and 19 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7538742/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 27 Dec, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Persistent cognitive symptoms following SARS-CoV-2 infection have been widely reported, yet their underlying neural mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we applied an integrative framework—combining EEG, diffusion MRI, and computational cognitive modeling—to investigate brain–behavior relationships in patients recovered from COVID-19 (n=70) and other non-COVID respiratory infections (n=26). Participants completed tasks probing cognitive control, working memory, and decision-making. Across tasks, individuals with prior COVID-19 showed altered low-frequency oscillatory activity and performance deficits, despite mild or moderate acute illness. These oscillatory alterations were linked to reduced white matter integrity in distinct long-range tracts, including the cingulum and thalamo-occipital fasciculi, depending on the cognitive computation involved. Crucially, model-based clustering revealed two distinct neurophysiological profiles among post-COVID participants, reflecting different combinations of structural and functional alterations. These profiles were not explained by clinical severity markers or other symptoms like anosmia, suggesting the emergence of neurocognitive phenotypes beyond binary classifications. Our findings identify a generalizable principle whereby specific brain network disruptions underlie cognitive dysfunction, highlighting biomarkers that may guide personalized intervention strategies. Beyond COVID-19, this multimodal framework offers a scalable approach for uncovering structure–function–computation coupling in other post-infectious or neuroinflammatory conditions, with broad relevance for the prevention and treatment of cognitive impairment. Health sciences/Biomarkers Biological sciences/Computational biology and bioinformatics Health sciences/Neurology Biological sciences/Neuroscience Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 27 Dec, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 24 Oct, 2025 Reviews received at journal 02 Oct, 2025 Reviews received at journal 29 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 19 Sep, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 17 Sep, 2025 Editor invited by journal 11 Sep, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 08 Sep, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 05 Sep, 2025 First submitted to journal 04 Sep, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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