ArticleThe Journal of neuropsychiatry and clinical neurosciences2026
Cognitive Trajectories After Hospitalization for COVID-19: A 36-Month Longitudinal Study.
Article in The Journal of neuropsychiatry and clinical neurosciences, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Towards a Neurocognitive Profile of Post-Acute COVID-19: A Longitudinal Study Integrating Subjective Complaints and Computerized Cognitive Testing.Brain sciences · 2026Article
- Neurocognitive and Neuropsychiatric Trajectories in a Post-COVID Cohort: A Descriptive Longitudinal Study.Neurology international · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
14 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveNeurological symptoms are commonly reported among individuals with postacute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), with cognitive impairment being the most common feature, but cognitive trajectories in PASC have not been clearly defined. The authors determined long-term cognitive changes in a cohort of individuals hospitalized with COVID-19, characterized their distinct cognitive trajectories, and identified factors associated with each trajectory at 36 months posthospitalization.
methodsThe sample comprised 630 patients who were hospitalized with severe COVID-19 symptoms; 214 patients returned for at least one follow-up assessment over a 36-month period. Cognitive function, including attention, cognitive flexibility, processing speed, and memory, was evaluated by using BrainCheck, a validated digital platform, at 3-6, 12, 24, and 36 months posthospitalization. Longitudinal changes in cognitive performance and their associations with demographic factors, medical history, and neuropsychiatric symptoms were analyzed with linear mixed-effects models.
resultsFour distinct cognitive trajectories over 36 months were identified and characterized. Group 1 (N=103, 48%) exhibited consistent normal cognitive function, group 2 (N=14, 7%) transitioned from unimpaired to impaired, group 3 (N=29, 14%) changed from impaired to unimpaired, and group 4 (N=68, 32%) showed persistent impairment across all domains. Poorer cognitive outcomes were associated with Hispanic ethnicity, although effects varied across domains.
conclusionsAs with many viral encephalitides, some patients showed stable normal or abnormal cognition or improved cognition over time. Surprisingly, however, a fourth subset exhibited delayed cognitive decline. This observation suggests that PASC-associated mechanisms, perhaps including chronic cerebral inflammation, may cause progressive cognitive impairment well after the initial infection clears.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
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.