A tablet-based intervention study to alleviate cognitive and psychological symptoms in patients with post-Covid-19 condition, 2025, Leitner et al.

[Chandelier]

Frontiers | A tablet-based intervention study to alleviate cognitive and psychological symptoms in patients with post-Covid-19 condition

BackgroundCognitive impairment and psychological complaints are among the most common consequences for patients suffering from Post-Covid-19 condition (PCC)....

www.frontiersin.org

Spoiler: Authors

Manuel Leitner, Lucas Paletta, Manuel Leal-Garcia, Maria Fellner, Marisa Koini

Background: Cognitive impairment and psychological complaints are among the most common consequences for patients suffering from Post-Covid-19 condition (PCC). As there are limited training options available, this study examined a longitudinal tablet-based training program addressing cognitive and psychological symptoms.

Methods: Forty individuals aged between 36 and 71 years (M = 49.85, SD = 8.63; 80% female) were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (n = 20) or a waitlist control group (n = 20). The intervention group received a three-month tablet-based training program involving cognitive exercises, relaxation techniques, and physiotherapy exercises. Additionally, both groups underwent a thorough neuropsychological assessment (attention, memory, executive functions, word fluency, subjective cognitive complaints, fatigue, depression, anxiety, and quality of life) before the training, after 3 months of training, and after 6 months in order to assess long-term effects.

Results: Pre-post comparisons revealed that individuals assigned to the intervention group (n= 18 after dropout), as compared to the control group (n = 16 after dropout), showed a reduction in subjective cognitive complaints (p < 0.001) as well as in depressive symptoms (p < 0.001). Additionally, their MoCA Memory Index Score remained stable (p = 0.496), while it declined significantly in the wait-list control group (p = 0.008). However, the training had no effect on the other domains assessed and not all training-related effects were stable over time. Finally, a higher number of post-Covid symptoms was negatively correlated with attention and memory capabilities (all p < 0.05), with a longer disease duration further amplifying the negative impact of post-Covid symptoms on memory performance.

Conclusion: Tablet-based training programs can help improve subjective complaints, depressive symptoms, and memory and may serve as an additional therapy option. Further studies are needed to investigate the stability of these effects.

 

[Chandelier]

ORF published a short article about this study: https://steiermark.orf.at/stories/3321724/

AI Summary:​

A research team from Graz tested a tablet-based training program for individuals affected by Post-Covid in a clinical study. The results showed positive improvements in symptoms within three months. Post-Covid patients often experience cognitive impairments such as concentration issues, language difficulties, and psychological problems.

The study aimed to investigate whether a long-term tablet-based training program could improve these symptoms. 40 participants, aged 36 to 71, were randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a waitlist control group. The intervention group followed a three-month program consisting of cognitive exercises, relaxation techniques, and physiotherapy exercises.

Comprehensive neuropsychological tests were conducted before and after the program. The results showed significant improvements in reducing cognitive complaints and depressive symptoms compared to the control group.

The training program could serve as an additional therapy option for Post-Covid patients, but further studies are needed to examine its long-term effects.

 

[Utsikt]

So they had some minor improvements in the subjective scores, but it was a completely bust for most of the outcomes. In a trial design set up to generate as much bias in favour of the intervention as possible.

Of course the authors are unable to understand that their intervention failed miserably. Those pesky minimum standards..

 

[forestglip]

However, while the intervention group was able to reduce their depressive symptoms

It's just assumed that participants in an unblinded trial filling out a questionnaire differently means their symptoms improved.

No mention of the possibility of bias related to subjective outcomes in the limitations.