Magnetoencephalography Reveals Neuroprotective Effects of COVID-19 Vaccination in Non-Human Primates

SUMMARY PARAGRAPHCOVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, can lead to widespread neurological complications, including cognitive deficits and neurodegenerative symptoms, even in the absence of significant structural brain abnormalities. The potential neuroprotective effects of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination remain underexplored. Here, we demonstrate the neuroprotective effects of a psoralen-inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in a non-human primate model using resting-state magnetoencephalography (MEG), a non-invasive neurophysiological recording technique with sub-millisecond temporal and submillimeter spatial resolution. MEG scans demonstrated substantial preservation of neural activity across multiple brain regions in vaccinated subjects compared to unvaccinated controls following viral challenge. This approach not only underscores the role of vaccination in mitigating severe neurological outcomes but also highlights the capability of MEG to detect subtle yet significant changes in brain function that may be overlooked by other imaging modalities. These findings advance our understanding of vaccine-induced neuroprotection and establish MEG as a powerful tool for monitoring brain function in the context of viral infections.