This study aims to evaluate the changes in cognitive skills after infection in young individuals who suffered from COVID-19 and did not have serious symptoms. To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first one conducted on a young population with no serious symptoms. For all these reasons, it is of significance to design a study that evaluates the impact of COVID-19 on younger populations in detail. However, it is stated that COVID-19 might cause difficult-to-notice deteriorations in cognitive skills such as memory, attention, and concentration although they do not affect daily life. When the literature is reviewed, it is observed that due to the high rate of death and sequelae, COVID-19 studies have focused on the elderly population, and studies on the young population without serious disease have been insufficient. The viral effect of COVID-19 creates, no matter how small or big it is, a decrease in physical activity as a result of the isolation brought about by the pandemic, and indirect effects such as loneliness have negative effects on the cognitive skills of individuals. It is also stated that hypercoagulatory and hyperinflammatory states that can be observed in severe COVID-19 cases may contribute to delirium and possible cognitive deficits in the future. These findings have also been supported by the results that hippocampal damage can be observed at the cellular level after infection in studies on animals. However, cerebral white matter affection, which is sensitive to ischemia, is stated to contribute to cognitive deficits such as attention problems, and impairments in verbal memory and executive functions. It is not known how much of the ischemic damage occurs secondary to cardiorespiratory disease through direct effects of the virus on the CNS. Although the neurovirulence of the COVID-19 has not been completely proven yet, some studies showed that it affects the CNS in different ways, and causes neurological problems such as ischemia and encephalitis in two-thirds of hospitalized patients. A recent study carried out in England found that mental status changes including psychosis and neurocognitive changes were observed in 31% of 125 patients. In a study conducted in France, it was stated that 69% of 58 hospitalized patients had CNS involvement, and 33% of 43 patients discharged from the hospital had dysexecutive syndrome including inattention, disorientation, or poorly organized response to the command. A study conducted in China reported that 53 (25%) of 214 patients hospitalized for the first time had central nervous system (CNS) involvement, including non-specific encephalopathy (headache, confusion, and disorientation). Although it is primarily known as a respiratory disease, it has been stated that it may also cause neurological, psychiatric, psychological, and psychosocial disorders. In addition to its acute effects, it poses a threat with its long-term effects.

When the cases were analyzed according to disease severity, no relationship was found between cognitive deficits and disease severity.Ĭoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a severe acute respiratory syndrome disease, the first cases of which appeared in Wuhan, China at the end of 2019, and which caused the death of millions of people around the world. It was found that global cognitive skills, verbal memory, visual memory, executive function, and neuropsychiatric status were affected during COVID-19 ( p < 0.05).

Evaluations were performed in the experimental group for 21 to 60 days from the onset of the disease, and throughout the study, in the control group. Global cognitive skills of the participants were evaluated through Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA) and Clock-Drawing Test memory functions with Öktem Verbal Memory Processes Test (Ö-VMPT) attention span with Digit Span Test executive functions with Fluency Tests, Stroop Test, and Trail Making Test visual perceptual skills with Rey Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (ROCF) and neuropsychiatric status with Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). Half of those had been infected with COVID-19 in the last 60 days ( N = 50), and the other half had not ( N = 50). MethodsĪ total of 100 adults with similar age and educational background were included in the study. This study aims to evaluate the post-infection cognitive functions of young adults with mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19. While most studies have focused on the elderly severely affected during acute infection, it remains unclear whether mild to moderate COVID-19 results in cognitive deficits in young patients. Cognitive deficits that are associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and occur in the acute period are gaining importance.

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