Post-COVID cognitive impairments similar to being ‘sleep deprived’: Canadian-led study – CTV
Oct. 20, 2022
A new Western University-led study has shed more light on the impacts of COVID-19, suggesting patients may experience short- and long-term cognitive impairments following infection, which can be similar to those caused by sleep deprivation.
Published on Sept. 6 in the journal Cell Reports Medicine, the study, performed in collaboration with the University of Cambridge, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and the University of Ottawa, was conducted online between June 2020 and February 2021. It looked at the overall cognitive performance of 478 adult volunteers about three months after they had a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis.
The study found that patients post-COVID had significant deficits in reasoning, thinking speed, and verbal abilities. Notably, no losses in memory function, commonly referred to as brain fog, were found.
