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#atranscendedman on X wrote:
UK study, 1064 people.
#LongCOVID harms working memory, worst in diagnosed cases.
More infections and older age make it worse.
Severe #BrainFog links to the lowest memory scores.
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.01.26.25321152v1
medRxiv · Long COVID affects working memory: Assessment using a single rapid online testLong COVID, or post-COVID-19 syndrome, is characterized by persistent symptoms following SARS-CoV-2 infection, including cognitive impairments such as brain fog that adversely affects quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of long COVID on working memory using a single rapid online anonymous survey and working memory quiz. We analyzed working memory scores in relation to long COVID status (clinically diagnosed, self-reported, and non-long COVID), age, number of COVID-19 infections and long COVID duration, and subjective ratings of brain fog severity and overall life impact of symptoms. The study recruited 1064 participants aged 16 to over 85 years (83% from the United Kingdom) with 39% reporting long COVID. The results demonstrate that long COVID significantly impairs working memory, with the greatest deficits observed in clinically diagnosed cases. In addition, we found that working memory declined with age and multiple COVID-19 infections particularly in the diagnosed long COVID group. Moreover, individuals in the diagnosed long COVID group reported experiencing the most severe brain fog and the greatest impact of long COVID symptoms on their lives, and both of these factors were strongly correlated with lower memory scores. Participants who had been living with long COVID for a longer duration had lower memory scores. However, this relationship was likely influenced by the SARS-CoV-2 variant, as individuals with prolonged long COVID symptoms were more likely to have been infected with earlier variants (alpha and wild-type) which are linked to more severe disease outcomes. Our results suggest that long COVID is associated with significant working memory impairments, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions and support strategies for those with long COVID to address memory problems.
### Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
### Funding Statement
The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.
### Author Declarations
I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.
Yes
The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:
The study was undertaken in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Ethical approval was given by the Hull York Medical School Ethics Committee (Reference/Approval Number 22-23 41). Informed consent was obtained online and the data were analyzed anonymously.
I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals.
Yes
I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).
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I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable.
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All relevant data will be made available in Supporting Information files following manuscript acceptance.
There you have it as we warned you:
"In addition, we found that working memory declined with age and MULTIPLE COVID-19 infections, particularly in the diagnosed long COVID group."
MULTIPLE INFECTIONS= REINFECTIONS! 