Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: DAIANI MURIELI BRILHANTE FERNANDES

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : DAIANI MURIELI BRILHANTE FERNANDES
DATE: 17/06/2027
TIME: 09:00
LOCAL: REMOTA
TITLE:

VERBAL MEMORY AND PROCESSING SPEED DEFICITS IN LONG COVID: A CONTROLLED NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY IN BRAZILIAN ADULTS

KEY WORDS:

Long COVID · Post-COVID-19 syndrome · Verbal episodic memory · Processing speed · Cognitive impairment

PAGES: 25
BIG AREA: Ciências da Saúde
AREA: Farmácia
SUMMARY:

A substantial proportion of patients develop Long COVID following Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, with memory difficulties, concentration problems, and fatigue being the most frequently reported cognitive symptoms. In this study, we characterized the neuropsychological profile of Brazilian adults with Long COVID, identifying the most affected cognitive domains, the socioclinical determinants associated with impairment, and the predictive value of neuropsychological performance for differential diagnosis between Long COVID and typical recovery. We conducted an observational study including 120 adults (18–50 years) with a confirmed history of SARS-CoV-2 infection, divided into a Long COVID group (n = 60), with persistent cognitive complaints lasting more than eight weeks, and a control group (n = 60), with no post-infection sequelae. Neuropsychological assessment included the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, the Psychological Battery for Attention Assessment, the Five Digit Test, and the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. The most prevalent subjective symptom was memory difficulty (96.7%), followed by concentration difficulty (36.7%) and fatigue (16.7%). The Long COVID group showed significantly lower performance on processing speed tasks, including Reading (p = 0.001; d = −0.35) and Counting (p = 0.017; d = −0.25) from the Five Digit Test, and on verbal episodic memory, with impairment across multiple learning trials, delayed recall (p = 0.008; d = −0.49), and total score (p = 0.010; d = −0.48) of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. No significant differences were observed in attentional domains. Sex-stratified analysis revealed broader impairment in women. Multivariable regression confirmed independent associations between Long COVID status and poorer cognitive performance after adjustment for age, sex, and number of prior infections. These findings delineate a specific neuropsychological phenotype in Long COVID, providing evidence to support clinical management and the development of public health policies for this population.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 2087759 - ANDRE DUCATI LUCHESSI
Interno - 2682821 - EDUARDO CALDAS COSTA
Externa ao Programa - 1246361 - LAURA CAROLINA LEMOS ARAGÃO - null