Future studies will focus on measuring brain activity in people with and without long COVID while they’re performing working memory tasks, using techniques such as electroencephalography and functional magnetic resonance imaging. Our study also cannot reveal what it is about a COVID infection that causes memory deficits and brain fog. We need more research to determine the impact of omicron variants on working memory function, as well as whether vaccinations might play a protective role. Roughly 50% of the COVID group reported having ongoing COVID symptoms, and these participants were more likely to have lower memory scores, compared with those who had COVID but didn’t have ongoing symptoms.Īlthough we don’t know which COVID variants participants in our research were infected with, we conducted the study at a time when alpha and delta were the prominent variants in circulation, before omicron emerged. This suggests that memory function can recover over time after a COVID infection. We observed a positive correlation between the number of months since having had COVID (less than one to 17) and memory scores. Memory scores for the COVID group were significantly lower compared to the non-COVID group in every age category except the youngest group, 18- to 24-year-olds.
Some 31.4% of participants had had COVID, while 68.6% had not. We had participants across a range of age groups, from 18-24 to 85 plus. More than 5,400 people took part in our study between December 2020 and July 2021. The quiz was a visual working memory game where participants had to remember and recall pictures of fruits, animals, numbers or objects.Īs our survey and memory quiz can be completed quickly, they could potentially also be used as an assessment tool in patients who have limited attention spans or those with other conditions affecting memory, such as dementia. They were also asked to rate any cognitive problems they had, for example with their ability to remember things or concentrate on tasks. The survey included questions about participants’ COVID status and any ongoing symptoms, if applicable. So we designed an anonymous online survey and memory quiz with elements of gamification that could be completed quickly via a variety of platforms including smartphones, tablets and PCs.
We wanted to develop something simpler which would engage as wide an audience as possible and allow us to rapidly assess the impact of COVID on working memory function specifically.
While previous studies have demonstrated a relationship between COVID and cognitive function, they’ve typically involved lengthy surveys with multiple tasks, and often focused only on those most severely affected by a COVID infection. So impaired working memory function can have a significant impact on a person’s daily life. Working memory, a form of short-term memory, allows us to store and retrieve information while performing tasks such as problem solving, reading or having a conversation. Our results suggest that memory function can recover over time after a COVID infection, but people with ongoing symptoms may continue to have difficulty with their working memory. In a recent study, we found that COVID negatively impacts working memory function, but only in adults aged 25 and over. Brain fog can also be a symptom of long COVID, where people suffer ongoing COVID symptoms for months, or even years, after infection. Many people with COVID experience a phenomenon commonly called “brain fog”, which can include problems remembering, concentrating and performing daily tasks.
Although it’s well known that COVID affects the respiratory system, it’s perhaps less well known that the virus can also affect cognitive function.
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