Cognitive impairment is increasingly recognised as a major component of long Covid, andis estimated to be present in 25-75% of affected individuals. This impairment impactsquality of life and the loss of functional ability has major consequences for affectedpeople, their families and the wider economy given people's difficulty in returning towork.This study will focus on helping people recover from cognitive Covid. This will involveuse of rehabilitation strategies aimed at improving function in those cognitive functionsidentified in Stage 1 as being most affected, and assessing the benefit of rehabilitationon quality of life and people's ability to return to everyday function. These strategieswill be co-produced in collaboration with a group of people living with cognitive Covid.At the end of Stage 2 we will produce a freely available "Covid-19 Cognitive RecoveryGuide" for affected people, their close contacts and clinicians.In conclusion, cognitive impairment is frequently observed in long Covid but at presentlittle is understood about its nature, or how it can be treated. The sheer scale of theCV19 pandemic makes this a top priority unmet need for healthcare worldwide. The aim ofthis study is to meet this need and to deliver a treatment plan for affected people whichwill help them return to normal life and working ability.
Not Provided
Behavioral: Cognitive rehabilitation
Set of restorative and compensatory strategies to rehabilitate cognitive function
combined with emotional regulation techniques.
Inclusion Criteria:
1. Aged between 30 and 60 years
2. Evidence of prior CV19 infection:
- either positive CV19 PCR
- or positive CV19 antibody test
- or acute symptoms consistent with the recognised core features of acute CV19
infection and post-acute symptoms consistent with the recognised core features
of long Covid
3. Cognitive impairment persisting more than three months after the acute CV19
infection, defined in terms of subjective reports of cognitive decline
post-infection
Exclusion Criteria:
1. Cognitive impairment prior to CV19 infection
2. Occurrence of acute neurological disorder, such as stroke or encephalitis, that
could give rise to cognitive sequelae
3. People who are on any medications that are considered by the study investigators to
have significant adverse effects on cognition
4. A pre-existing major psychiatric or medical disorder that is considered by the study
investigators to have potential to affect cognition
5. High alcohol intake
6. Recreational drug use
7. Loss of mental capacity such that the affected individual is unable to give informed
consent
8. Participants will not be eligible for Workstream 2 if they do not exhibit
significant impairment on baseline cognitive assessments, as they will not gain from
cognitive rehabilitation.
9. Participants with pacemakers or other implanted devices, those with metal foreign
bodies (e.g. shrapnel from war injuries) and those who have had certain types of
surgery will be excluded from the MRI substudy. Although MRI is not known to affect
the unborn child, we will also exclude subjects who may be pregnant just to be on
the safe side.
University College London
London, United Kingdom
Dennis Chan, Dr, Principal Investigator
University College, London