Long after the corona infection, those affected by long-Covid complain of forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating. Brain function can still be impaired two years later, according to a new study.
In a study recently published in The Lancet, scientists from King’s College London examined the effects of COVID-19 on cognitive performance. The results suggest that the brain function of long-Covid sufferers does not recover long after infection. According to the study, the effect is comparable to the difference between 50 to 60 year olds and 60 to 70 year olds, which corresponds to a cognitive aging of ten years. Test subjects who feel completely recovered, on the other hand, would not have any impairments in brain function.
How the Corona study was carried out
The study took place in two rounds: the first from July to August 2021 and the second from April to June 2022. While there were around 3300 participants in the first round, around 2500 completed the second round. In both rounds, the test subjects had to carry out a cognitive test via a smartphone app.
The performance of the participants was analyzed using four criteria: working memory (also called short-term memory), logical thinking, attention and motor control. Both the accuracy of the answers and the speed were evaluated.
The tests included people who tested positive for Corona, as well as those who had a negative test but still suffered from COVID-19 symptoms due to a previous infection, i.e. were affected by Long-Covid. There was also a healthy control group. However, due to the very targeted selection of certain groups, the selection is not representative of the population, according to the study.
Deficits due to Long Covid – but also hope
The tests came to the conclusion that those who tested positive showed cognitive deficits compared to those who tested negative. The deficits were even more pronounced in long-Covid sufferers, i.e. people who tested negative and still had symptoms more than twelve weeks after infection. In part – but not exclusively – these problems are due to symptoms such as psychological stress, fatigue or functional limitations associated with long-Covid illness.
However, the restrictions would only affect the accuracy of the answers. There were no significant differences in reaction time between the various experimental groups. This is reassuring, since poorer processing speed is associated with dementia, for example. Those who considered themselves fully cured also showed no impairments, even if they had a history of Long Covid.
Sources used: The Lancet
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