Posthospitalization COVID-19 cognitive deficits at 1 year are global and associated with elevated brain injury markers and gray matter volume reduction

Greta K. Wood, Brendan F. Sargent, Zain Ul Abideen Ahmad, Kukatharmini Tharmaratnam, Cordelia Dunai, Franklyn N. Egbe, Naomi H. Martin, Bethany Facer, Sophie L. Pendered, Henry C. Rogers, Christopher Hübel, Daniel J. van Wamelen, Richard A.I. Bethlehem, Valentina Giunchiglia, Peter J. Hellyer, William Trender, Gursharan Kalsi, Edward Needham, Ava Easton, Thomas A. JacksonColm Cunningham, Rachel Upthegrove, Thomas A. Pollak, Matthew Hotopf, Tom Solomon, Sarah L. Pett, Pamela J. Shaw, Nicholas Wood, Neil A. Harrison, Karla L. Miller, Peter Jezzard, Guy Williams, Eugene P. Duff, Steven Williams, Fernando Zelaya, Stephen M. Smith, Simon Keller, Matthew Broome, Nathalie Kingston, Masud Husain, Angela Vincent, John Bradley, Patrick Chinnery, David K. Menon, John P. Aggleton, Timothy R. Nicholson, John Paul Taylor, Anthony S. David, Bhagteshwar Singh, Sylviane Defres

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

24 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The spectrum, pathophysiology and recovery trajectory of persistent post-COVID-19 cognitive deficits are unknown, limiting our ability to develop prevention and treatment strategies. We report the 1-year cognitive, serum biomarker and neuroimaging findings from a prospective, national study of cognition in 351 COVID-19 patients who required hospitalization, compared with 2,927 normative matched controls. Cognitive deficits were global, associated with elevated brain injury markers and reduced anterior cingulate cortex volume 1 year after COVID-19. Severity of the initial infective insult, postacute psychiatric symptoms and a history of encephalopathy were associated with the greatest deficits. There was strong concordance between subjective and objective cognitive deficits. Longitudinal follow-up in 106 patients demonstrated a trend toward recovery. Together, these findings support the hypothesis that brain injury in moderate to severe COVID-19 may be immune-mediated, and should guide the development of therapeutic strategies.
Original languageEnglish
Article number101417
Pages (from-to)245-257
Number of pages13
JournalNature Medicine
Volume31
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 23 Sept 2024

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