Cognition and Memory after Covid-19 in a Large Community Sample

This large observational study assessed cognitive performance among over 112,000 adults in England who completed online tasks as part of the REACT cohort. It found that participants with unresolved persistent symptoms following Covid-19 infection had significantly lower global cognitive scores compared to those who had not had Covid-19 (–0.42 SD). Smaller deficits were observed even in those whose symptoms had resolved (–0.23 to –0.24 SD), and in those who had experienced only short illness duration. Cognitive deficits were more pronounced with earlier viral strains, longer symptom duration, ICU admission, and unresolved symptoms. Memory, reasoning, and executive function tasks showed the largest impairments. Subjective symptoms like brain fog and poor memory corresponded modestly with objective performance. The authors conclude that Covid-19 is associated with small-to-moderate measurable cognitive deficits, especially in cases with prolonged or unresolved symptoms, but recovery appears possible. Long-term clinical implications warrant further research.

This large observational study assessed cognitive performance among over 112,000 adults in England who completed online tasks as part of the REACT cohort. It found that participants with unresolved persistent symptoms following Covid-19 infection had significantly lower global cognitive scores compared to those who had not had Covid-19 (–0.42 SD). Smaller deficits were observed even in those whose symptoms had resolved (–0.23 to –0.24 SD), and in those who had experienced only short illness duration. Cognitive deficits were more pronounced with earlier viral strains, longer symptom duration, ICU admission, and unresolved symptoms. Memory, reasoning, and executive function tasks showed the largest impairments. Subjective symptoms like brain fog and poor memory corresponded modestly with objective performance. The authors conclude that Covid-19 is associated with small-to-moderate measurable cognitive deficits, especially in cases with prolonged or unresolved symptoms, but recovery appears possible. Long-term clinical implications warrant further research.