Neuropsychological aspects and mood profiles of patients with COVID-19: results of a preliminary case-control study with Brazilian participants

Abstract

Background: The long-term effects of COVID-19 became a target of investigation in the years following the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The current evidence is mixed and includes studies suggesting an impairment in psychological, neuropsychological, and mood conditions, while other studies have failed to find significant differences. Aim: We compared the cognitive and mood profiles of patients who had COVID-19 with a control group using neuropsychological measures and self-reported questionnaires. Methodology: We implemented a case-control study from September 2021 to June 2022. We conducted an in-person neuropsychological evaluations of 45 patients who had COVID-19 and a control group of 16 participants, matching them for age, sex, education, and civil status. We evaluated their perception, attention, memory, and mood profiles. We used one-sided T-tests to check the plausibility of the hypothesis of worse results in the group of patients who had COVID-19 and we implemented a chi-squared test to assess the percentage of participants at risk for depression and anxiety in both groups. Results: We found no significant differences on either the cognitive tests or mood profile. Conclusion: Although preliminary, the data suggest that people who had COVID-19 have similar cognitive skills and mood profiles compared to a control group. Further research is important, given the mixed results published in the scientific literature.