Post-COVID-19 condition is frequently comprised of persistent cognitive sequela,including deficits in attention and executive functions (EFs). Goal Management Training(GMT) is a cognitive rehabilitation (CR) intervention for improving attention and EFsthat has received empirical support in studies of other patient groups. The present studyaims to determine the efficacy of GMT for improving everyday attention and EFs in adultswho experience persistent cognitive deficits after COVID-19. The study is a randomizedcontrolled trial (RCT), comparing the efficacy of GMT to a wait list control condition(WL), for improving persistent cognitive sequela in post-COVID-19 condition. The studyaims to recruit 240 participants aged 18 to 65 years with a history of laboratory- orhome-test confirmed, SARS-CoV-2 infection (> 3 months since infection) and perceivedattentional and EF difficulties in daily life that have lasted for at least two monthsand that cannot be explained by an alternative diagnosis. Participants will be randomizedto either group-based GMT (n = 120) or WL (n = 120). GMT will be internet-delivered togroups of six participants in six two-hour sessions delivered weekly (five weeks). Theprimary outcome will be the Metacognition Index of the Behavior Rating Inventory ofExecutive Function - Adult Version, a self-report measure assessing everyday EFdifficulties, at six months post-treatment. Secondary outcomes include performance-basedneurocognitive measures and rating scales of cognition, emotional health, quality oflife, and fatigue.Secondary aims include to explore to what extent potential early change predicts outcome,and to examine what characterize those who profit from GMT, in addition to describe theneurocognitive and emotional health in a Covid-19 sample. The investigators will alsoexamine potential effects of GMT at 2- and 5-year follow-up.
Not Provided
Behavioral: Goal Management Training (GMT)
Goal Management Training is a cognitive rehabilitation intervention that relies on
metacognitive strategies to reengage top-down attention processes, in addition to
teaching problem-solving techniques, attempting to address executive dysfunctions.
Other Name: GMT
Inclusion Criteria:
- history of laboratory- or home-test confirmed, SARS-CoV-2 infection (> 3 months
since infection)
- perceived cognitive difficulties (attention, memory, EF) affecting everyday
functioning that have lasted for at least two months and that cannot be explained by
an alternative diagnosis
- age between 18-65 years
Exclusion Criteria:
- ongoing alcohol- or substance abuse, premorbid insult and/or comorbid neurological
disease, severe neurocognitive problems interfering with the capacity to
participate, sensory disorders biasing cognitive assessment, psychotic disorders,
lack of proficiency in Norwegian, and being previously enrolled in a GMT trial.
Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital
Oslo, Norway
Jan Stubberud, PhD, Principal Investigator
University of Oslo and Lovisenberg Hospital