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A new study conducted by researchers at Imperial College London has shed light on the long-lasting cognitive and memory deficits experienced by individuals infected with Covid-19, even a year or more after their infection.
Published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday, the study enrolled over 140,000 participants who underwent cognitive assessments, providing valuable insights into the impact of Covid-19 on cognitive function.
The research uncovered that individuals who were hospitalized, experienced persistent symptoms, or were infected with earlier variants of the virus exhibited larger cognitive deficits. These deficits persisted even in individuals who had relatively short-duration illnesses.
Notably, the study found deficits across multiple domains of cognition, with memory being particularly affected. Participants demonstrated difficulty in tasks involving memory recall, such as remembering pictures of objects viewed just minutes earlier. This impairment may stem from challenges in forming new memories rather than accelerated forgetting, according to the researchers.
Additionally, small deficits were observed in tasks assessing executive and reasoning abilities, including spatial planning and verbal reasoning.
The severity of cognitive deficits was notably higher in individuals with symptoms lasting 12 weeks or more, consistent with Long Covid, as well as those who required hospitalization for their illness or were infected with early variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Professor Adam Hampshire, the study’s first author from the Department of Brain Sciences at Imperial College London, highlighted the significance of the findings. “The potential long-term effects of Covid-19 on cognitive function have been a concern for the public, healthcare professionals, and policymakers,” he stated. “By using our online platform to measure multiple aspects of cognition and memory at a large scale, we were able to detect small but measurable deficits in cognitive task performance.”
The study underscores the need for continued monitoring and support for individuals affected by Covid-19, particularly those experiencing cognitive impairments, as the world grapples with the long-term consequences of the pandemic.
