Post-COVID: a specific neuropsychological profile in performance deficits

SARS-CoV-2 is frequently associated with cognitive impairment. When symptoms persist for more than four weeks after acute infection, a Long-COVID condition is diagnosed. When persisting more than 12 weeks, Post-COVID ist diagnosed. Cognitive complaints commonly include impairments in attention, memory, and executive functions. However, precise data on the specific pattern and extent of these deficits remain limited.

Results: Conclusions: The findings indicate that attentional impairments are more prevalent than memory deficits in this Post-COVID cohort. Furthermore, distinct cognitive profiles can be identified using cluster analysis, ranging from globally impaired to cognitively preserved subgroups. These results may be relevant for clinical characterization and rehabilitation planning in Post-COVID conditions.

We examined 88 patients (mean age 50.9 years, 80.7% female) diagnosed with COVID symptoms according to the WHO-criteria. Neuropsychological assessment was performed using a standardized test battery covering attentional performance, working memory, and executive functions. A cluster analysis was conducted to identify subgroups based on cognitive performance profiles.

Overall, 55.7% of patients showed below-average attentional performance, whereas memory deficits were less frequent (33.0%). Impairments in executive functions were similarly distributed across the sample. Cluster analysis yielded a three-cluster solution. Cluster 1 (34.1%) was characterized by pronounced impairments across all cognitive domains. Cluster 2 (20.0%) showed generally below-average cognitive performance; however, verbal fluency was preserved at or above average in all participants. In Cluster 3 (17.6%) more than 50% of patients in performed within average to above-average ranges across all cognitive domains.

The findings indicate that attentional impairments are more prevalent than memory deficits in this Post-COVID cohort. Furthermore, distinct cognitive profiles can be identified using cluster analysis, ranging from globally impaired to cognitively preserved subgroups. These results may be relevant for clinical characterization and rehabilitation planning in Post-COVID conditions.