Velásquez Cabrera Daniela María, De la Roca-Chiapas Jose Maria, Hernández-González Martha Alicia, Reyes Pérez Verónica, Villada Carolina
Health Sciences Division, University of Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico.
Department of Psychology, University of Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico.
Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2025 Apr 23;18:1007-1019. doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S487382. eCollection 2025.
The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship between the time since recovery from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and alterations in executive functions. We also evaluate the emotional state of post-COVID-19 patients.
We assessed patients between 18 and 50 years old, who had a history of COVID-19 with mild, moderate, or severe illness. We used the Batería Neuropsicológica de Funciones Ejecutivas y Lóbulos Frontales-3 (BANFE-3), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), in addition to a semi-structured interview. Spearman's correlation coefficient was used, with a value <0.05 indicating significance.
We evaluated 67 patients with a mean age of 34.6±9.6 years, most of whom had ≥13 years of schooling (n=55, 82.1%). Among them, 52 (77.6%) reported persistent symptoms after resolution of the condition, with fatigue being the most frequent (n=20, 29.9%). Most participants had an adequate score on the MMSE (n=60, 89.6%). However, 19 (28.4%) showed alterations in the BANFE-3 total score, with mental flexibility as the most affected function (n=25, 37.3%). In participants from the first COVID-19 wave, a negative correlation was observed between the standardized orbitofrontal area scores and the time since recovery from the infection (=-0.841, =0.016), suggesting a pattern of deterioration over time, mainly in stimulus inhibition (=0.880, =0.021). Regarding emotional state, 45 subjects (67.2%) exhibited emotional alterations, with anxiety symptoms being the most frequent (n=33, 49.3%). Furthermore, individuals with depressive symptoms (n=32, 47.8%) were more likely to experience executive function impairment after COVID-19 (ExpB 0.302, 95% CI 0.098-0.933, =0.038).
COVID-19 could lead to alterations in executive functions, probably resulting from progressive damage to orbitofrontal area functions, mainly in stimulus inhibition. However, the generalizability of these findings is limited, highlighting the need for further research with robust methodology. Furthermore, depression appears to be an indicator of cognitive impairment in individuals recovering from COVID-19. Therefore, cognitive rehabilitation and psychological support are essential for patients affected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.
本研究旨在确定2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）康复后的时间与执行功能改变之间是否存在关联。我们还评估了COVID-19康复患者的情绪状态。
我们评估了年龄在18至50岁之间、有COVID-19轻症、中症或重症病史的患者。除了半结构化访谈外，我们还使用了执行功能和额叶-3神经心理测试组（BANFE-3）、简易精神状态检查表（MMSE）和迷你国际神经精神访谈量表（MINI）。使用斯皮尔曼相关系数，p值<0.05表示具有显著性。
我们评估了67名患者，平均年龄为34.6±9.6岁，其中大多数人接受过≥13年的教育（n=55，82.1%）。其中，52人（77.6%）报告在病情缓解后仍有持续症状，最常见的是疲劳（n=20，29.9%）。大多数参与者在MMSE上得分正常（n=60，89.6%）。然而，19人（28.4%）的BANFE-3总分出现改变，其中心理灵活性是受影响最严重的功能（n=25，37.3%）。在第一波COVID-19疫情中的参与者中，标准化眶额区域得分与感染康复后的时间之间存在负相关（r=-0.841，p=0.016），表明随着时间的推移存在恶化趋势，主要体现在刺激抑制方面（r=0.880，p=0.021）。关于情绪状态，45名受试者（67.2%）表现出情绪改变，最常见的是焦虑症状（n=33，49.3%）。此外，有抑郁症状的个体（n=32，47.8%）在COVID-19后更有可能出现执行功能损害（优势比0.302，95%置信区间0.098 - 0.933，p=0.038）。
COVID-19可能导致执行功能改变，这可能是由于眶额区域功能的渐进性损害，主要是在刺激抑制方面。然而，这些发现的普遍性有限，突出了采用稳健方法进行进一步研究的必要性。此外，抑郁症似乎是COVID-19康复个体认知障碍的一个指标。因此，认知康复和心理支持对于受严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）感染的患者至关重要。
