Unvaccinated volunteers who contracted COVID-19 in a human challenge study showed significant memory and executive function decline lasting up to a year, despite no reported subjective symptoms, prompting new questions about the virus’s long-term cognitive effects. Study: Changes in memory and cognition during the SARS-CoV-2 human challenge study . Image Credit: pathdoc / Shutterstock In a recent study published in the journal EClinicalMedicine , a team of researchers from the United Kingdom examined the cognitive deficits associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections.
They conducted the first human challenge study among a prospectively controlled group of unvaccinated SARS-CoV-2 naive volunteers, who were inoculated with the wild-type strain and observed for long-term cognitive problems. Background Substantial research now indicates that long-lasting cognitive deficits impacting memory, comprehension, and concentration occur even after mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases. A large proportion of individuals who recover from COVID-19 continue to experience “brain fog,” memory lapses, and difficulty forming words for months after the initial acute infection.
Memory and executive function hit hardest: Tasks related to immediate and delayed memory recall, as well as executive planning, showed the most significant performance declines in infected individuals compared to uninfected participants. Cross-sectional and longitudi.