Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42784117›Full record

ArticleNeurology international2026

Neurocognitive and Neuropsychiatric Trajectories in a Post-COVID Cohort: A Descriptive Longitudinal Study.

Giulia Del Duca, Marta Camici, Isabella Sperduti, Anna Clelia Brita, Martina Maresca, Carmela Pinnetti, Ilaria Mastrorosa, Valentina Mazzotta, Andrea Antinori

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Neurology international, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

9 authors.

Giulia Del DucaViral Immunodeficiency Unit, Clinical Department of Infectious Diseases and Research, National Institute for Infection Disease Lazzaro Spallanzani IRCCS, Via Portuense 292, 00149 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0009-0004-3408-3817
Marta CamiciViral Immunodeficiency Unit, Clinical Department of Infectious Diseases and Research, National Institute for Infection Disease Lazzaro Spallanzani IRCCS, Via Portuense 292, 00149 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-6624-7917
Isabella SperdutiRegina Elena National Cancer Institute IRCCS, 00144 Rome, Italy.
Anna Clelia BritaViral Immunodeficiency Unit, Clinical Department of Infectious Diseases and Research, National Institute for Infection Disease Lazzaro Spallanzani IRCCS, Via Portuense 292, 00149 Rome, Italy.
Martina MarescaViral Immunodeficiency Unit, Clinical Department of Infectious Diseases and Research, National Institute for Infection Disease Lazzaro Spallanzani IRCCS, Via Portuense 292, 00149 Rome, Italy.
Carmela PinnettiViral Immunodeficiency Unit, Clinical Department of Infectious Diseases and Research, National Institute for Infection Disease Lazzaro Spallanzani IRCCS, Via Portuense 292, 00149 Rome, Italy.
Ilaria MastrorosaViral Immunodeficiency Unit, Clinical Department of Infectious Diseases and Research, National Institute for Infection Disease Lazzaro Spallanzani IRCCS, Via Portuense 292, 00149 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-1944-662X
Valentina MazzottaViral Immunodeficiency Unit, Clinical Department of Infectious Diseases and Research, National Institute for Infection Disease Lazzaro Spallanzani IRCCS, Via Portuense 292, 00149 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-0240-7504
Andrea AntinoriViral Immunodeficiency Unit, Clinical Department of Infectious Diseases and Research, National Institute for Infection Disease Lazzaro Spallanzani IRCCS, Via Portuense 292, 00149 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-2121-4684

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionCognitive dysfunction ("brain fog") is a common manifestation of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS) and may persist long after the acute infection. While cross-sectional studies have described cognitive deficits, longitudinal evidence on recovery trajectories remains limited.

methodsWe conducted a longitudinal observational study of neurocognitive performance and neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with PACS. Participants underwent assessment with 20 standardized tests covering five cognitive domains (memory, attention, language, executive functions, psychomotor processing speed); anxiety, depression, and sleep quality were assessed at three time points. Changes were analysed using the Friedman test.

resultsForty-two patients were included (median age 57 years; 35.7% female) from a predominantly hospitalized cohort (81% hospitalised; 66.7% requiring respiratory support). Patients who completed all three assessments (completers, n = 42) were compared with those who attended the first evaluation but did not complete follow-up (non-completers, n = 544); completers were more severely ill during the acute phase rather than healthier or more motivated. At the group level, statistically significant improvements over time were observed across the whole sample in verbal short-term learning, visuospatial memory, working memory, constructional praxis, phonological verbal fluency, and psychomotor processing speed (all

conclusionIn this cohort, group-level performance improved in six of the twenty tests administered, of which three remained significant after correction for multiple comparisons, while 28 of 42 patients (66.7%) still scored in the impaired range on at least one test at 12 months, and 17 (40.5%) on two or more. These findings highlight the importance of long-term neuropsychological monitoring and integrated cognitive-psychiatric evaluation in post-COVID care. Given the small, predominantly hospitalized sample, improvements should be interpreted cautiously and confirmed in larger controlled studies, although the use of alternate forms for part of the battery makes task-specific learning an incomplete explanation.

Indexed as

cognitive outcomeslong COVIDlongitudinal neuropsychological evaluationneuropsychiatric symptomspost-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS)post COVID-19 condition

Identifiers

PMID42784117
PMCPMC13610980

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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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.