OBJECTIVES In the present study, we investigated the pattern of cognitive difficulties in hospitalized patients due to COVID-19 and its relation with the clinical features of the disease. METHOD Forty hospitalized patients with COVID-19 [mean age: 46.98 years (SD = 9.30); mean years of education: 13.65 (SD = 2.07) and 40 sex-, age- and education-matched healthy controls completed a set of neuropsychological measures administered by telephone. Participants' premorbid intellectual skills and patients' anxiety and depressive symptoms were also evaluated. The association of COVID-19-related biomarkers [oxygen saturation (SpO2), C-reactive protein (CRP), D-dimer and ferritin levels] with neuropsychological performances was examined with a series of hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses, after controlling for demographic and clinical characteristics, psychological distress and premorbid intellectual skills. RESULTS Patients performed worse than healthy participants on measures of verbal memory, attention and working memory. SpO2 levels were associated with patients' performance on verbal and working memory, whereas CRP levels were associated with performance on verbal memory, abstract reasoning and verbal fluency, after controlling for demographic and clinical characteristics. Ferritin levels predicted performance on the verbal fluency test, whereas D-dimer levels did not predict any of the neuropsychological measures. CONCLUSIONS Cognitive difficulties in verbal memory, attention and working memory were noted in patients with COVID-19. Markers of hyperinflammation predicted patients' performance above and beyond demographic characteristics, duration of symptoms, length of hospitalization and psychological distress.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19 住院患者的神经心理学概况：临床和炎症相关性。

目的 在本研究中，我们调查了因 COVID-19 住院患者的认知困难模式及其与疾病临床特征的关系。方法 40 名住院的 COVID-19 患者[平均年龄：46.98 岁（SD = 9.30）；平均受教育年限：13.65（SD = 2.07），40 名性别、年龄和教育程度相匹配的健康对照者完成了一套通过电话进行的神经心理学测量。还评估了参与者的病前智力技能以及患者的焦虑和抑郁症状。在控制人口统计数据后，通过一系列分层多元线性回归分析，检查了 COVID-19 相关生物标志物 [氧饱和度 (SpO2)、C 反应蛋白 (CRP)、D-二聚体和铁蛋白水平] 与神经心理表现的关联以及临床特征、心理困扰和病前智力技能。结果在言语记忆、注意力和工作记忆方面，患者的表现比健康参与者差。在控制人口和临床特征后，SpO2 水平与患者的言语和工作记忆表现相关，而 CRP 水平与言语记忆、抽象推理和言语流畅性表现相关。铁蛋白水平可以预测言语流畅性测试的表现，而 D-二聚体水平则不能预测任何神经心理学指标。结论 COVID-19 患者在言语记忆、注意力和工作记忆方面存在认知困难。过度炎症标志物预测患者的表现超出了人口特征、症状持续时间、住院时间和心理困扰。