Characterization of neurocognitive deficits in patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome: persistence, patients’ complaints, and clinical predictors

Journal article

A significant proportion of individuals with post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) continue to experience deficits in attention, executive functioning, and memory more than 12 weeks after infection. These deficits may be due to systemic inflammation, blood-brain barrier disruption, autoimmunity, or viral reactivation. Standard screening tools often fail to detect these domain-specific impairments; however, the digital Oxford Cognitive Screen-Plus (OCS-Plus) offers a more efficient and scalable alternative. Study 1 examined 282 patients with PCS and 52 socio-demographically equivalent controls. It found deficits in attention, delayed memory, and executive functioning. Greater impairments were linked to hospitalisation, fatigue, and age, but not to the amount of time that had passed since the initial infection. Study 2 reassessed 81 patients after a median of 4.4 months and confirmed that deficits remained stable despite improvements in depression and fatigue. High subjective complaints persisted alongside objective impairments, highlighting their potential chronic nature. These results highlight the importance of long-term monitoring using tools such as the OCS-Plus, as well as the need for integrated interventions that address both cognitive and psychiatric symptoms

Authors: Kozik, V; Reuken, P; Utech, I; Gramlich, J; Stallmach, Z

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Frontiers Media
• Journal: Frontiers in Psychology
• Volume: 14
• Pages: 1233144-1233144
• Article number: 1233144
• Publication date: 2023-10-17
• DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1233144
• EISSN: 1664-1078
• ISSN: 1664-1078
• Language: English
• Keywords: Executive functions; Persistence (discontinuity); Cognition; Medicine; Neurocognitive; Psychology; Audiology; Working memory; Neuropsychology; Clinical significance; Depression (economics); Effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance; Psychiatry; Clinical psychology; Executive dysfunction; Internal medicine