More Evidence of Ongoing Cognitive Deficits After COVID-19

Objective brain injury and associated cognitive impairment were noted as long as 1 year after infection with SARS-CoV-2.

Some patients with acute COVID-19 develop encephalitis and associated cognitive deficits. In addition, even among people with mild acute COVID-19, residual brain damage has been reported: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) from before and after COVID-19 showed gray matter loss that was not seen in matched control patients who didn't have COVID-19 (NEJM JW Gen Med Jun 1 2022 and Nature 2022; 604:697), and objective tests of cognition showed deficits that lasted at least 1 year after acute illness (NEJM JW Gen Med Mar 15 2024 and N Engl J Med 2024; 390:806).

In a multi-institutional U.K. study, researchers followed 351 people who had been hospitalized for acute COVID-19 (with or without neurological findings) and 3000 matched controls who didn't…

Reviewing Author

Anthony L. Komaroff, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardSerImmune Inc.; DxTerity

Grant / Research SupportNIH (1U54NS105542-01)

Editorial BoardsHarvard Health Letter; UpToDate

Anthony L. Komaroff, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardSerImmune Inc.; DxTerity

Grant / Research SupportNIH (1U54NS105542-01)

Editorial BoardsHarvard Health Letter; UpToDate

More Evidence of Ongoing Cognitive Deficits After COVID-19

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Reviewing Author