ABSTRACT
Background: The health consequences of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic are dominating the international healthcare systems. More than 15% of patients with supposedly mild SARS-CoV-II disease develop persisting symptoms (Sudre et al., 2021). In addition to known internal limitations, such as respiratory distress or tachycardia, severe neurological deficits are prominent. For example, fatigue persisting for months, cognitive impairment, and a marked increase in daytime sleepiness, sometimes accompanied by an inability to work, are described (Taquet et al., 2021). Previous research indicates that hospitalized patients suffering from COVID-19 often develop fatigue or muscle weakness (63%), difficulties in sleep (26%) and psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety and depression (23%) (Taquet et al., 2021). This constellation of symptoms can lead to severe limitations in the everyday lives of the people concerned. The pathophysiology of this multifaceted neurological and dysautonomic symptom complex is not yet understood but now becoming the focus of interdisciplinary research in the context of the global pandemic. A similar disease is chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Affected patients suffer from very comparable limitations, especially persistent fatigue. Evidence suggests an alteration of the specific cerebral reward system in CFS, an important modulator of learning processes involved in various homeostatic regulatory processes (Wylie and Flashman, 2017). Objective(s): Based on the similarity of symptoms in CFS and Post-COVID fatigue this study aims to investigate whether a reduced sensitivity of the reward system in the context of postviral fatigue syndrome is present. We hypothesize that the sensitivity of the reward system in patients with Post-COVID syndrome is reduced compared to healthy adults. Method(s): 24 subjects with a diagnosed Post-COVID syndrome and 20 healthy individuals between the age of 18-55 without relevant neurological or psychiatric disorders in the medical record participated in the study. Magnetoencephalography and electroencephalography were used for the characterization of the reward system during the monetary incentive delay task, a classic paradigm used in existing publications (Frank et al., 2004;Opitz et al., 2022). In addition, standardized questionnaires were used to obtain further information about the included individuals' living conditions and the severity of symptoms. Result(s) and Conclusion(s): Results of the study will help to better characterize reward network changes in the context of fatigue symptoms to open up therapeutic options for medication or psychotherapeutic interventions. Data analysis will be completed by the start of the conference.Copyright © 2023