INS NYC 2024 Program

Poster	Poster Session 09 Program Schedule 02/16/2024 03:30 pm - 04:45 pm Room: Majestic Complex (Posters 61-120) Poster Session 09: Epilepsy \| Oncology \| MS \| Infectious Disease Final Abstract #67 Neurobehavioral Symptoms in COVID-19 “Long Haulers” Athanasia Liozidou, Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Clinical Neuropsychology, Scientific College of Greece, Athens, Greece Nikoletta Geronikola, Neuropsychological Laboratory, 1st Neurology Department, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece Mary Kosmidis, Lab of Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece Vasiliki Varela, Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Clinical Neuropsychology, Scientific College of Greece, Athens, Greece Erasmia Giogkaraki, Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Clinical Neuropsychology, Scientific College of Greece, Athens, Greece Dimitris Vlastos, Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Clinical Neuropsychology, Scientific College of Greece, Athens, Greece Elisabet Alzueta, Center for Health Sciences, SRI International, Menlo Park, United States Paul Perrin, School of Data Science and Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, United States Daniela Ramos-Usuga, Biomedical Research Doctorate Program, University of the Basque Country, Leioa, Spain Juan Carlos Arango-Lasprilla, Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, United States Ioannis Zalonis, Neuropsychological Laboratory, 1st Neurology Department, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece Category: Medical/Neurological Disorders/Other (Adult) Keyword 1: cognitive functioning Keyword 2: infectious disease Objective: High quality evidence has elucidated the outcomes of acute COVID-19. However, evidence for post-acute impairments of a physical, cognitive, and mental health nature is also accumulating. We aimed to investigate the neurobehavioral symptoms of individuals infected with COVID-19 and the risks associated with their development. Participants and Methods: An online-based questionnaire collected data from September 2022 to June 2023. Five hundred eighty-eight individuals (148 men; age: 18-85 years old; mean age 36.9, SD: ±11.9; mean education in years 15.5, SD: ±2.1) residing in Greece and who had previously tested positive for COVID-19 completed the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI). The respondents were asked to report on symptoms before their COVID-19 diagnosis, during the infection, and post illness [(mean time since the diagnosis 558,5 days (SD: 201,2 days)], in order to evaluate persistent symptoms. Demographic information (gender, age, romantic relationship status, educational background, work status, and country of residence) was collected. A series of paired samples t-tests were conducted to evaluate whether there were differences in neurobehavioral symptoms by domain (subscale) and by symptom (item) as recalled before participants’ COVID-19 diagnosis, during the COVID-19 infection, and post-COVID-19, when completing the survey. For each analysis, we calculated a Cohen’s d effect size taking into account the longitudinal correlation between subtotal scores or items. Because of the large sample size, Cohen’s d cutoffs and descriptors of 0.2 (small), 0.5 (moderate), and 0.8 (large) were used. Finally, hierarchical linear regressions were computed with neurobehavioral symptom domain (somatic, cognitive, or affective) as the outcome variable. Results: Participants reported large-sized increases in the Somatic domain when comparing before vs. during COVID-19 scores (t(429) = -16,942, p <.001, Cohen's d (based on differences with Hedges correction) =-0.82) and moderate-sized increases in the Cognitive (t(429) = -10,123, p <.001, Cohen's d = -0.49) and Affective domains (t(429) = -15,954, p <.001, Cohen's d = -0.77). They also demonstrated a moderate-sized improvement (during COVID-19 vs. post illness) in Somatic and Affective domains (t(429) = 12,711, p <.001, Cohen's d = 0.61 and t(429) = 11,477, p <.001, Cohen's d = 0.55), but very weak/no improvement in the Cognitive domain t(429) = 4,084, p <.001, Cohen's d = 0.20). The risk factors for increased neurobehavioral symptoms were: being female/trans, younger age, having another chronic health condition and moderate severity COVID-19 symptoms. Conclusions: These results highlight the importance of proper evaluation and treatment of neurobehavioral symptoms which persist long after COVID-19 infection. Despite the fact that COVID-19 no longer constitutes a public health emergency, post-acute cognitive sequelae of COVID-19 can have a devastating impact on individuals’ wellbeing. This growing public-health crisis demands a focused and patient-centered response.

Poster

02/16/2024
03:30 pm - 04:45 pm
Room: Majestic Complex (Posters 61-120)

Poster Session 09: Epilepsy | Oncology | MS | Infectious Disease

Final Abstract #67

Neurobehavioral Symptoms in COVID-19 “Long Haulers”

Athanasia Liozidou, Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Clinical Neuropsychology, Scientific College of Greece, Athens, Greece
Nikoletta Geronikola, Neuropsychological Laboratory, 1st Neurology Department, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Mary Kosmidis, Lab of Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
Vasiliki Varela, Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Clinical Neuropsychology, Scientific College of Greece, Athens, Greece
Erasmia Giogkaraki, Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Clinical Neuropsychology, Scientific College of Greece, Athens, Greece
Dimitris Vlastos, Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Clinical Neuropsychology, Scientific College of Greece, Athens, Greece
Elisabet Alzueta, Center for Health Sciences, SRI International, Menlo Park, United States
Paul Perrin, School of Data Science and Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, United States
Daniela Ramos-Usuga, Biomedical Research Doctorate Program, University of the Basque Country, Leioa, Spain
Juan Carlos Arango-Lasprilla, Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, United States
Ioannis Zalonis, Neuropsychological Laboratory, 1st Neurology Department, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

Category: Medical/Neurological Disorders/Other (Adult)

Keyword 1: cognitive functioning
Keyword 2: infectious disease

Objective:

High quality evidence has elucidated the outcomes of acute COVID-19. However, evidence for post-acute impairments of a physical, cognitive, and mental health nature is also accumulating. We aimed to investigate the neurobehavioral symptoms of individuals infected with COVID-19 and the risks associated with their development.

Participants and Methods:

An online-based questionnaire collected data from September 2022 to June 2023. Five hundred eighty-eight individuals (148 men; age: 18-85 years old; mean age 36.9, SD: ±11.9; mean education in years 15.5, SD: ±2.1) residing in Greece and who had previously tested positive for COVID-19 completed the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI). The respondents were asked to report on symptoms before their COVID-19 diagnosis, during the infection, and post illness [(mean time since the diagnosis 558,5 days (SD: 201,2 days)], in order to evaluate persistent symptoms. Demographic information (gender, age, romantic relationship status, educational background, work status, and country of residence) was collected. A series of paired samples t-tests were conducted to evaluate whether there were differences in neurobehavioral symptoms by domain (subscale) and by symptom (item) as recalled before participants’ COVID-19 diagnosis, during the COVID-19 infection, and post-COVID-19, when completing the survey. For each analysis, we calculated a Cohen’s d effect size taking into account the longitudinal correlation between subtotal scores or items. Because of the large sample size, Cohen’s d cutoffs and descriptors of 0.2 (small), 0.5 (moderate), and 0.8 (large) were used. Finally, hierarchical linear regressions were computed with neurobehavioral symptom domain (somatic, cognitive, or affective) as the outcome variable.

Results:

Participants reported large-sized increases in the Somatic domain when comparing before vs. during COVID-19 scores (t(429) = -16,942, p <.001, Cohen's d (based on differences with Hedges correction) =-0.82) and moderate-sized increases in the Cognitive (t(429) = -10,123, p <.001, Cohen's d = -0.49) and Affective domains (t(429) = -15,954, p <.001, Cohen's d = -0.77). They also demonstrated a moderate-sized improvement (during COVID-19 vs. post illness) in Somatic and Affective domains (t(429) = 12,711, p <.001, Cohen's d = 0.61 and t(429) = 11,477, p <.001, Cohen's d = 0.55), but very weak/no improvement in the Cognitive domain t(429) = 4,084, p <.001, Cohen's d = 0.20). The risk factors for increased neurobehavioral symptoms were: being female/trans, younger age, having another chronic health condition and moderate severity COVID-19 symptoms.

Conclusions:

These results highlight the importance of proper evaluation and treatment of neurobehavioral symptoms which persist long after COVID-19 infection. Despite the fact that COVID-19 no longer constitutes a public health emergency, post-acute cognitive sequelae of COVID-19 can have a devastating impact on individuals’ wellbeing. This growing public-health crisis demands a focused and patient-centered response.