The study found that these cognitive deficits persisted until 6-10 months after the onset of COVID-19, and there was only a gradual improvement, if any, in cognitive performance. The persistence of these cognitive deficits highlights the importance of understanding the mechanisms underlying these symptoms.
Scientists have proposed multiple mechanisms, such as direct infection of the brain by SARS-CoV-2 and disruption of blood supply to the brain, to explain the persistent cognitive symptoms in COVID-19 patients. Among these mechanisms, systemic or whole-body
Dr. Roger McIntyre, a professor of Psychiatry and Pharmacology at the University of Toronto, told MNT, “Inflammatory activation appears to be mediating these findings, highlighting the hazards of lengthy immune activation. The next steps are to unravel biological mechanisms more fully and identify prevention and treatment strategies.”
Discussing major questions that need to be addressed, Dr. Paul Harrison, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Oxford, said:
“This study shows that these deficits can be substantial and persist more than 6 months after the acute illness. The results are convincing and important and raise further questions. For example, what happens following a less severe infection? How long do the deficits last? What causes them and, critically, how can they be treated or prevented?”