AUTHOR=Pistarini Caterina , Fiabane Elena , Houdayer Elise , Vassallo Claudio , Manera Marina Rita , Alemanno Federica 

TITLE=Cognitive and Emotional Disturbances Due to COVID-19: An Exploratory Study in the Rehabilitation Setting

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2021.643646

DOI=10.3389/fneur.2021.643646

ISSN=1664-2295

ABSTRACT=The Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID‐19) can cause neurological, psychiatric, psychological, and psychosocial impairments. Literature regarding cognitive impact of COVID-19 is still limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate cognitive deficits and emotional distress among COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 patients who required functional rehabilitation. Specifically, this study explored and compared cognitive and psychological status of patients in the sub-acute phase of the disease (COVID-19 group) and patients in the post-illness period (post- COVID-19 group). 
40 patients admitted to Rehabilitation Units were enrolled in the study and divided into two groups according to the phase of the disease: a) COVID-19 group (n=20) and b) post- COVID-19 group (n=20). All patients underwent a neuropsychological assessment including: Mini Mental State Evaluation (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) and Impact of Event Scale (IES-R). A larger part of the COVID-group showed neuropsychological deficits in the total MMSE (35%) compared to post covid-group (5%), while the majority of both groups (75-70%) reported cognitive impairments in the total MoCA. The post-COVID group reported significant higher score in MMSE subtests of Language (p=0.02), and in MoCA subtests of Executive Functions (p= 0.05), Language (p=0.01), Abstraction (p=0.02) compared to the COVID group. Regarding emotional disturbances, about 40% of patients presented with mild to moderate depression (57.9-60%).The post-COVID-19 group reported significantly higher levels of distress at the IES-R compared to the COVID-group (p=0.02). These findings highlight the gravity of neuropsychological and psychological symptoms that can be induced by COVID-19 infection and the need of tailored rehabilitation, including cognitive training and psychological support.