Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40789995›Full record

ArticleInflammopharmacology2025

Longitudinal relationships between changes in post-COVID mental fatigue and neuropsychiatric symptoms across distinct recovery trajectories.

Wenrui Bao, Siyuan Chen, Ningkun Hong, Gengchen Ye, Chiyin Li, Jingmei Xie, Peng Li, Heng Li, Yang Wang, Jixin Liu and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Inflammopharmacology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Wenrui Bao *Department of Nuclear Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China.
Siyuan Chen *Department of Medical Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China.
Ningkun HongDepartment of Medical Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China.
Gengchen YeDepartment of Medical Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China.
Chiyin LiDepartment of Medical Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China.
Jingmei XieDepartment of Medical Imaging, Yulin No.2 Hospital, Yulin, Shaanxi Province, China.
Peng LiDepartment of Medical Imaging, No.215 Hospital of Shaanxi Nuclear Geology, Xianyang, China.
Heng LiDepartment of Medical Imaging, Xi'an Gaoxin Hospital, Xi'an, China.
Yang WangDepartment of Radiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, USA.
Jixin LiuXi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of Trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
Xuan NiuDepartment of Medical Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China. niuxuan@xjtu.edu.cn.
Yuchen ZhangDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China. zhangyc415@xjtu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5411-6063

Funding

the national natural science foundation of China 82202121
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPersistent fatigue, often accompanied by neuropsychiatric symptoms (e.g., cognitive impairment, sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, and PTSD), commonly referred to as "long COVID". Fatigue is multidimensional, comprising physical, psychological, and situational components. However, the relationships between these fatigue dimensions and co-occurring neuropsychiatric symptoms remain unclear. This study aimed to (1) examine the time-varying characteristics of post-COVID fatigue and (2) determine whether specific fatigue dimensions uniquely affect neuropsychiatric symptoms in long COVID.

methodsWe analyzed neuropsychiatric assessments from 233 individuals at 1 and 3 months post-infection using Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA). Participants were categorized into four groups based on fatigue recovery trajectories: persistent fatigue, alleviated fatigue, new-onset fatigue, and no fatigue. Longitudinal CCA assessed relationships between changes in fatigue dimensions and cognitive impairments (memory, executive function) and psychiatric symptoms (anxiety, depression, PTSD, and sleep disturbances) from the acute to chronic phase.

resultsPhysical fatigue was dominant in the acute phase, while mental fatigue became more prominent at 3 months. Across both phases, all fatigue dimensions were strongly associated with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and sleep disturbances, with mental fatigue showing the strongest impact (canonical loadings: ρ = - 0.875 at 1 month; ρ = - 0.914 at 3 months). In the persistent fatigue group, mental fatigue was closely linked to anxiety, depression, and cognitive impairments, including recognition and short-term recall (ρ = - 0.677). No significant longitudinal associations were observed in the alleviated, new-onset, or no-fatigue groups.

conclusionsMental fatigue plays a central role in the chronic phase of recovery, significantly impacting cognitive and psychiatric health in individuals with persistent fatigue. Targeted interventions addressing mental fatigue are essential for improving long COVID outcomes.

Indexed as

COVID-19Mental FatigueAdultAgedAnxietyCognitive DysfunctionDepressionFatigueFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedPost-Acute COVID-19 SyndromeSleep Wake DisordersStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticCanonical correlation analysis (CCA)Cognitive impairmentLong COVIDMental fatigueNeuropsychiatric symptoms

Identifiers

PMID40789995
PMCPMC12443899

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.