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Persistent cognitive slowing in post-COVID patients: longitudinal study over 6 months, 2023, Martin et al

Discussion in 'Long Covid research' started by EndME, Nov 12, 2023.

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  1. EndME

    EndME Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    1,094
    Persistent cognitive slowing in post-COVID patients: longitudinal study over 6 months

    Abstract

    Background
    Fatigue is a frequent and one of the most debilitating symptoms in post-COVID syndrome (PCS). Recently, we proposed that fatigue is caused by hypoactivity of the brain’s arousal network and reflected by a reduction of cognitive processing speed. However, it is unclear whether cognitive slowing is revealed by standard neuropsychological tests, represents a selective deficit, and how it develops over time.

    Objectives
    This prospective study assesses whether PCS patients show deficits particularly in tests relying on processing speed and provides the first longitudinal assessment focusing on processing speed in PCS patients.

    Methods
    Eighty-eight PCS patients with cognitive complaints and 50 matched healthy controls underwent neuropsychological assessment. Seventy-seven patients were subsequently assessed at 6-month follow-up. The Test for Attentional Performance measured tonic alertness as primary study outcome and additional attentional functions. The Neuropsychological Assessment Battery evaluated all key cognitive domains.

    Results
    Patients showed cognitive slowing indicated by longer reaction times compared to control participants (r = 0.51, p < 0.001) in a simple-response tonic alertness task and in all more complex tasks requiring speeded performance. Reduced alertness correlated with higher fatigue (r =  − 0.408, p < 0.001). Alertness dysfunction remained unchanged at 6-month follow-up (p = 0.240) and the same was true for most attention tasks and cognitive domains.

    Conclusion
    Hypoarousal is a core deficit in PCS which becomes evident as a selective decrease of processing speed observed in standard neuropsychological tests. This core deficit persists without any signs of amelioration over a 6-month period of time.

    https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00415-023-12069-3
     
    EndME, Nov 12, 2023
    #1
    ahimsa, Ash, SNT Gatchaman and 10 others like this.
  2. Hutan

    Hutan Moderator Staff Member

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    Location:
    Aotearoa New Zealand
    Jena, Germany
    Clear differences in reaction time and in many tests affected by reaction time.
     
    Hutan, Nov 13, 2023
    #2
    ahimsa, Ash, Sean and 4 others like this.
  3. Hutan

    Hutan Moderator Staff Member

    Messages:
    27,994
    Location:
    Aotearoa New Zealand
    Screen Shot 2023-11-14 at 6.21.49 am.png

    Blue is healthy controls, pink is post-covid syndrome at baseline (an average of 13.5 months after onset) and red is post-covid syndrome 6 months later (with some attrition).

    Reasons for the attrition from baseline to 6 months are given as
    Given people who are doing an 'inpatient rehabilitation stay' are unlikely to be cured, it looks like the cognitive dysfunction present in most PCS participants at baseline persisted in most 6 months later.
     
    Hutan, Nov 13, 2023
    #3
    ahimsa, Ash, EndME and 10 others like this.

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