Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Jan 20, 2025 6 hours, 27 minutes ago
Medical-News: The COVID-19 pandemic, driven by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has profoundly impacted the world since its onset in late 2019. While the immediate effects of the illness have been extensively studied, researchers have increasingly turned their focus toward the long-term consequences that linger even after recovery from the acute phase. This growing area of investigation is particularly relevant to understanding how COVID-19 affects young adults who experienced mild to moderate illness but did not require hospitalization.
Long Term Cognitive and Autonomic Effects of COVID-19 in Young Adults
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A new study conducted by researchers from the Department of Physiology, Kasturba Medical College Manipal, part of the Manipal Academy of Higher Education in Karnataka, India, explores these long-term effects. It investigates cognitive and autonomic changes in young adults approximately 28 months after recovering from COVID-19. This
Medical News report examines the key findings, study methods, and implications of this significant research.
Study Objectives and Methods
The primary aim of the study was to assess whether young adults who had COVID-19 more than two years ago continue to experience any lingering cognitive inefficiencies or autonomic dysregulation. The research focused on a cohort of 68 individuals aged 18 to 39 years, equally divided into two groups: one with a documented history of COVID-19 (34 participants) and the other comprising healthy controls without prior infection (34 participants).
To ensure a robust comparison, participants in the COVID-19 group had confirmed infections through RT-PCR or antigen testing. Exclusion criteria included those with pre-existing neurological, cardiopulmonary, visual, auditory impairments, or those taking medications that could affect cognitive or autonomic function. The study adhered to strict ethical guidelines, and participants provided written informed consent.
Cognitive function was evaluated using three distinct tests: the Sternberg Task, the Stroop Task, and the Go/No-Go Task. Meanwhile, autonomic function was assessed through heart rate variability (HRV) parameters using advanced data acquisition systems. Participants underwent all tests under controlled conditions to minimize external influences on the results.
Key Findings from Cognitive Assessments
The cognitive tests revealed some intriguing patterns:
-Sternberg Task: This test measures working memory by presenting participants with sets of letters and requiring them to recall and identify specific items. The COVID-19 group showed a significant increase in reaction time during the 2-item absent condition and made more errors during the 4-item present condition. These findings suggest subtle inefficiencies in working memory processes.
-Stroop Task
g>: Designed to measure selective attention, processing speed, and inhibitory control, the Stroop Task demonstrated that the COVID-19 group took longer to respond, particularly in tasks requiring neutral response time (p = 0.028). Additionally, their normalized time for task completion was significantly higher (p = 0.022), indicating a delay in cognitive processing.
-Go/No-Go Task: This task evaluates sustained attention and the ability to inhibit responses. No significant differences were observed between the two groups, suggesting that sustained attention and inhibition remain unaffected in young adults post-COVID-19.
Insights from Autonomic Function Analysis
Autonomic function was assessed through HRV, a noninvasive method for evaluating heart rate regulation and autonomic nervous system balance. Key HRV parameters such as the SDNN index, RMSSD, and LF/HF ratio showed no statistically significant differences between the COVID-19 and control groups.
However, a trend toward higher HRV values in the COVID-19 group was noted, indicating potential recovery of autonomic regulation over time.
Contextualizing the Findings
The results of this study align with previous research highlighting the resilience of young adults to long-term effects of COVID-19. Subtle cognitive inefficiencies, such as slower reaction times and increased errors in specific tasks, were observed. However, these changes were not widespread and do not suggest significant impairment.
Interestingly, the absence of significant differences in HRV parameters supports the idea that autonomic function normalizes over time. Earlier studies reported altered HRV during the acute and early recovery phases of COVID-19. This study’s longer follow-up period of 28 months suggests that autonomic disturbances may resolve in healthy young adults.
Implications and Limitations
The study’s findings have important implications for understanding the long-term trajectory of COVID-19 recovery in young adults. While the results are reassuring in showing minimal lasting impact, they also highlight areas requiring further investigation, such as the subtle cognitive inefficiencies noted in some tasks. These inefficiencies, though not debilitating, could affect performance in high-stress or cognitively demanding situations.
However, the study is not without limitations. The relatively small sample size and cross-sectional design limit its ability to capture changes over time within individuals. Additionally, the age difference between groups, though small, could influence cognitive performance. Future studies with larger, longitudinal cohorts and more diverse populations are needed to validate these findings.
Conclusion
The study provides valuable insights into the long-term effects of COVID-19 in young adults. While the overall findings are optimistic, with minimal impact on cognitive and autonomic function, subtle inefficiencies in specific cognitive tasks warrant further exploration. These results emphasize the resilience of young adults to long-term sequelae of mild to moderate COVID-19 but also underscore the need for ongoing research to fully understand recovery trajectories.
The study findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal: Annals of Medicine.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07853890.2025.2453082
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https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/children-and-young-adults-have-increased-risk-of-developing-neuropsychiatric-conditions-as-a-result-of-covid-19-infection
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/neurological-effects-of-long-covid-hits-young-adults-harder-than-expected
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/norwegian-study-links-mild-covid-19-and-gut-bacteria-to-fatigue-in-young-adults
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/long-covid
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/coronavirus
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