Depression may be the strongest predictor of COVID-19-related persistent brain fog, study finds

In a recent study published in neuroscienceresearchers assessed the prevalence of cognitive complaints (CC) in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and investigated factors associated with brain fog one year after COVID-19 diagnosis.

Background

A study found that cognitive symptoms in long-term COVID patients within a year of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection were associated with fatigue, anxiety, chest tightness, and muscle pain. frequently reported. CC or brain fog includes attention deficit, thinking slowness, and confusion.

Recent imaging studies have also reported altered brain function in individuals with long-term symptoms of cognitive impairment following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Persistent brain fog has been reported, even after he has been infected with SARS-CoV-2 for over a year.However, the underlying mechanisms of brain fog and the association between brain fog and COVID-19 severity may not be relevant in the long term. COVID-19 symptomsand premorbid conditions should be further investigated.

About research

In this study, researchers evaluated the prevalence of CC and its associated factors in SARS-CoV-2-infected patients one year after COVID-19 diagnosis.

The study included patients hospitalized for COVID-19-related pulmonary complications between March 1 and May 31. The participant was evaluated after her 1-year hospital discharge and underwent a thorough neurological, psychological and clinical examination. Assessment included the impact of the Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), and the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). was included. .

Other assessments included modified ranking scale (mRS), quick sequential organ failure assessment (qSOFA), low-flow oxygen requirement, noninvasive ventilation requirement, and total duration of oxygen therapy. Individuals were excluded from the analysis if they had premorbid conditions such as cognitive impairment, preexisting depressive syndrome, or dementia.

Using logistic regression modeling, after adjusting for several covariates such as gender, age, premorbid Cumulative Disease Rating Scale (CIRS) score, education level, and Brescia COVID Respiratory Severity Scale (BCRSS), Brain We evaluated potential factors associated with fog. Score.

result

Of the 246 patients, only 132 patients were included in the final analysis. Her 2 patients with cognitive impairment or premorbid dementia and her 3 patients with preexisting depressive syndrome were excluded from the analysis. Only 22% of participants (n = 25) reported brain fog one year after SARS-CoV-2 infection. The average age of CC participants was 68.5 years, most of whom (72%, n = 18) were male.

Participants with cognitive impairment had lower MoCA scores (23 vs. 26), higher IES-R scores (34 vs. 26), SDS scores (41 vs. 36), and FSS scores ( 34 vs 24) was higher. Of note, after data adjustment for covariates and MoCA scores, the SDS score was significantly correlated with brain fog, indicating that depression was the best predictor of cognitive impairment development in his COVID patients over time, regardless of MoCA score. shown to be ill. This finding is particularly interesting because patients with psychological disorders and premorbid cognitive decline were excluded from the analysis.

The team failed to find a significant association between CC/brain fogging and the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection, suggesting that multiple factors may influence the long-term sequelae of COVID-19 indicates that Further studies on prospective study design and assessment of glial and neuronal markers in post-COVID patients are needed to better understand the factors associated with cognitive decline or improvement after the acute phase of COVID-19.

Conclusion

Overall, the findings showed that depression was the strongest predictor of persistent brain fog associated with COVID-19. However, longitudinal observational studies with larger sample sizes should be conducted to better understand cognitive impairment in COVID patients over time.

The authors concluded that the current study demonstrated a positive correlation between brain fog or cognitive complaints and depression one year after recovery from COVID-19, regardless of the severity or presence of SARS-CoV-2 infection. We believe this is the first study to highlight a correlation. of comorbidities.

Further research is needed to guide the development of therapeutics and elucidate the underlying mechanisms to reduce the long-term neurological burden of COVID-19.