Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19: Evidence of mood & cognitive impairment

Acute health consequences associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection have been thoroughly characterized; however, long-term impacts are not yet understood. Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), also known as Long COVID syndrome, is the persistence of COVID-19 symptoms long after...

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Main Authors: Steven J. Lamontagne, Makaila F. Winters, Diego A. Pizzagalli, Mary C. Olmstead
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2021-11-01
Series:Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666354621001502
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author Steven J. Lamontagne
Makaila F. Winters
Diego A. Pizzagalli
Mary C. Olmstead
author_facet Steven J. Lamontagne
Makaila F. Winters
Diego A. Pizzagalli
Mary C. Olmstead
author_sort Steven J. Lamontagne
collection DOAJ
description Acute health consequences associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection have been thoroughly characterized; however, long-term impacts are not yet understood. Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), also known as Long COVID syndrome, is the persistence of COVID-19 symptoms long after viral infection. In addition to physical symptoms, those with PASC experience changes in mental health, but few studies have empirically examined these effects. The current study investigated mood and cognitive functioning in individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 infection. We recruited 100 male and female adults (M ​= ​30 years old) with no history of mood or cognitive impairment prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (Jan. 2020). Half of the subjects were healthy controls (i.e., no prior COVID-19 infection) and half had received a past COVID-19 diagnosis (ascertained by PCR or antibody test) but were no longer infectious. Participants completed self-reported measures of stress, depression, and anhedonia, as well as the Attention Network Test (ANT), a behavioural measure of attentional alerting, orienting and executive functioning. Relative to controls, depression and anhedonia were significantly higher in the past-COVID group. Selective impairment in attention was observed in the past-COVID group, marked by deficits in executive functioning while alerting and orienting abilities remained intact. Effects were most pronounced among individuals diagnosed 1–4 months prior to assessment. There were no group differences in pandemic-related experiences with respect to social interaction, social distancing, or isolation. The past-COVID group scored significantly higher on perceived stress; however, this did not moderate any effects observed on mood or cognition. These findings implicate a protracted reaction to the virus, possibly via prolonged inflammation, contributing to sustained mood dysregulation and cognitive impairment. Future research should examine the neural and physiological underpinnings of PASC, particularly mechanisms that promote psychiatric sequelae 1–4 months following diagnosis.
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spelling doaj.art-5f808b02d36541e38eb7c38cb60529112022-12-21T18:24:04ZengElsevierBrain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health2666-35462021-11-0117100347Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19: Evidence of mood & cognitive impairmentSteven J. Lamontagne0Makaila F. Winters1Diego A. Pizzagalli2Mary C. Olmstead3Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada; Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA; Corresponding author. Center for Depression, Anxiety, & Stress Research, 115 Mill Street McLean Hospital Belmont, MA, 02478 617-855-4238, USA.Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, CanadaCenter for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA; McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USADepartment of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada; Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, CanadaAcute health consequences associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection have been thoroughly characterized; however, long-term impacts are not yet understood. Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), also known as Long COVID syndrome, is the persistence of COVID-19 symptoms long after viral infection. In addition to physical symptoms, those with PASC experience changes in mental health, but few studies have empirically examined these effects. The current study investigated mood and cognitive functioning in individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 infection. We recruited 100 male and female adults (M ​= ​30 years old) with no history of mood or cognitive impairment prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (Jan. 2020). Half of the subjects were healthy controls (i.e., no prior COVID-19 infection) and half had received a past COVID-19 diagnosis (ascertained by PCR or antibody test) but were no longer infectious. Participants completed self-reported measures of stress, depression, and anhedonia, as well as the Attention Network Test (ANT), a behavioural measure of attentional alerting, orienting and executive functioning. Relative to controls, depression and anhedonia were significantly higher in the past-COVID group. Selective impairment in attention was observed in the past-COVID group, marked by deficits in executive functioning while alerting and orienting abilities remained intact. Effects were most pronounced among individuals diagnosed 1–4 months prior to assessment. There were no group differences in pandemic-related experiences with respect to social interaction, social distancing, or isolation. The past-COVID group scored significantly higher on perceived stress; however, this did not moderate any effects observed on mood or cognition. These findings implicate a protracted reaction to the virus, possibly via prolonged inflammation, contributing to sustained mood dysregulation and cognitive impairment. Future research should examine the neural and physiological underpinnings of PASC, particularly mechanisms that promote psychiatric sequelae 1–4 months following diagnosis.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666354621001502Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)SARS-CoV-2Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC)Long haul COVIDdepressionAnhedonia
spellingShingle Steven J. Lamontagne
Makaila F. Winters
Diego A. Pizzagalli
Mary C. Olmstead
Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19: Evidence of mood & cognitive impairment
Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
SARS-CoV-2
Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC)
Long haul COVID
depression
Anhedonia
title Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19: Evidence of mood & cognitive impairment
title_full Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19: Evidence of mood & cognitive impairment
title_fullStr Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19: Evidence of mood & cognitive impairment
title_full_unstemmed Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19: Evidence of mood & cognitive impairment
title_short Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19: Evidence of mood & cognitive impairment
title_sort post acute sequelae of covid 19 evidence of mood amp cognitive impairment
topic Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
SARS-CoV-2
Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC)
Long haul COVID
depression
Anhedonia
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666354621001502
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