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Published on: January 24, 2020
COVID-19 and Cognitive Change in a Community-Based Cohort
Ryan T Demmer1,2,3, Talea Cornelius4, Zarina Kraal5
1Division of Epidemiology, Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, College of Medicine and Science, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
SARS-CoV-2 infection can accelerate cognitive decline, particularly in older adults hospitalized with the virus. Non-hospitalized infections did not show this accelerated cognitive impairment compared to uninfected individuals.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Infectious Diseases
- Gerontology
Background:
- SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) infection is associated with neurological effects and cognitive deficits.
- Understanding the long-term impact of SARS-CoV-2 on cognitive function is crucial, especially in aging populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if SARS-CoV-2 infection accelerates cognitive decline compared to individuals without infection.
- To differentiate the cognitive impact based on hospitalization status following SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Main Methods:
- A multicenter, prospective cohort study involving 3525 participants from the ARIC and CCoRPS studies.
- Cognitive function was assessed pre-pandemic and during the pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 infection status determined by various diagnostic markers.
- Neuropsychological testing evaluated multiple cognitive domains, with confirmatory factor analysis generating global cognitive function scores.
Main Results:
- Among 3525 older participants (mean age 80.8 years), 307 (8.7%) had SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- Participants hospitalized for SARS-CoV-2 infection showed accelerated cognitive decline (β = -0.06) compared to uninfected individuals.
- No significant acceleration in cognitive decline was observed for non-hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 infections.
Conclusions:
- Hospitalization due to SARS-CoV-2 infection is linked to accelerated cognitive decline in older adults.
- The cognitive impact, specifically on memory and executive function, is associated with severe (hospitalized) SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- Non-hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 infection did not demonstrate a significant acceleration of cognitive decline in this cohort.
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