Exploring the relationship of cognitive function with and without COVID-19 recovered schizophrenic patients

Anam Mehmood; Ali Madi Almajwal; Abdullah Addas; Falak Zeb; Iftikhar Alam; Bismillah Sehar

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1306132

Exploring the relationship of cognitive function with and without COVID-19 recovered schizophrenic patients

Front Public Health. 2024 Jan 3:11:1306132. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1306132. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Anam Mehmood¹, Ali Madi Almajwal², Abdullah Addas^{3

4}, Falak Zeb⁵, Iftikhar Alam⁶, Bismillah Sehar⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
² Department of Community Health Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
³ Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Landscape Architecture Department, Faculty of Architecture and Planning, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Research Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
⁶ Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Bacha Khan University Charsadda, KPK, Pakistan.
⁷ Department of Health and Social Sciences, University of Bedfordshire, Luton, United Kingdom.

Abstract

Background: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is linked to the deterioration of cognitive function among individuals suffering from schizophrenia. The purpose of this study was to compare the cognitive performance of schizophrenic patients before and after COVID-19.

Methods: A longitudinal cohort study involving a sample of 219 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia was enrolled between June 2022 and May 2023. The participants were split into two groups infected with COVID-19 (n = 165) and not infected with COVID-19 (n = 54). The data were gathered via a questionnaire on demographic characteristics, the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS), the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS), the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) scale, and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI).

Results: The repeated-measures ANOVA showed that Among patients diagnosed with COVID-19, there was a deterioration in global cognitive function (before COVID-19 = -2.45 vs. after COVID-19 = -3.02, p = 0.007), working memory (before COVID-19 = -2.76 vs. after COVID-19 = -3.34, p < 0.00 1), motor speed (before COVID-19 = -1.64 vs. after COVID-19 = -2.12, p < 0.001), attention and speed of information processing (before COVID-19 = -1.93 vs. after COVID-19 = -1.16, p = 0.008). multi-variable analysis showed that several factors as having a secondary grade of education (β = 0.434), experiencing insomnia (β = 0.411)and the interaction between COVID-19 diagnosis and cognition at baseline (β = 0.796) were significantly associated with cognitive deficits. At the same time, no significant associations were found between global cognition and clinical symptoms, autonomy, or depression (p > 0.05).

Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted various cognitive functions, such as verbal memory, working memory, and global cognition. Insomnia has been identified as the predominant determinant of cognitive impairment, alongside the confirmation of a COVID-19 diagnosis. Additional research is imperative to elucidate the diversification of cognitive functionality observed in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia who have acquired COVID-19.

Keywords: BACS; COVID-19; PANSS; cognitive performance; schizophrenia.

MeSH terms

Activities of Daily Living
COVID-19 Testing
COVID-19* / complications
Cognition
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Neuropsychological Tests
Pandemics
Schizophrenia* / complications
Schizophrenia* / diagnosis
Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders* / epidemiology

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The authors extend their appreciation to Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University for funding this research work through the project number (PSAU/2023/01/8910).