Hypoechogenicity of brainstem raphe in long-COVID syndrome-less common but independently associated with depressive symptoms: a cross-sectional study.

Hypoechogenic BR alterations are independently associated with depressive symptoms in Long-COVID patients but are not highly frequent. Future studies should investigate whether the hypoechogenicity of the BR is a direct consequence or whether it reflects a priori a higher susceptibility to depressive symptoms after COVID-19, thus enabling to identify COVID-19 patients at higher risk of developing Long-COVID depressive symptoms.