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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Neurol.
Sec. Neurorehabilitation
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1486751
This article is part of the Research Topic Exploring Evidence for Neurorehabilitation Advancements View all 23 articles

Neuropsychological outcome of indoor rehabilitation in Post-Covid-19 condition-results of the PoCoRe study

Provisionally accepted
Michael Jöbges Michael Jöbges 1*Melanie Tempfli Melanie Tempfli 2*Christop Kohl Christop Kohl 3Christoph Herrmann Christoph Herrmann 4Stefan Kelm Stefan Kelm 3Alexa Kupferschmitt Alexa Kupferschmitt 5Ida Montanari Ida Montanari 6Nike Walter Nike Walter 6Gerhard Suetfels Gerhard Suetfels 7Thomas Horst Loew Thomas Horst Loew 6Volker Köllner Volker Köllner 5Thilo Hinterberger Thilo Hinterberger 6
  • 1 Kliniken Schmieder Konstanz, Constance, Germany
  • 2 University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
  • 3 Westerwaldklinik, Waldbreitbach, Germany
  • 4 Kliniken Schmieder Gailingen, Gailingen, Germany
  • 5 Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
  • 6 University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany
  • 7 Todtmoos Rehabilitation Centre, Todtmoos, Germany

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Post COVID-19 condition (PCC) is increasingly recognized as a debilitating condition characterized by persistent symptoms following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Neuropsychological deficits, including cognitive impairments and fatigue, are prevalent in individuals with PCC. The PoCoRe study aimed to evaluate the burden of neuropsychological deficits in PCC patients undergoing multidisciplinary indoor rehabilitation and to describe possible changes in this symptomatology.Methods: The PoCoRe study, a prospective, non-randomized, controlled longitudinal study, recruited PCC patients from six German indoor rehabilitation centers. Eligible participants underwent comprehensive neuropsychological assessments at admission and discharge. Various measures were employed, including the fatigue scale for motor functioning and cognition (FSMC), the Test Battery for Attention (TAP) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).Results: Out of the 1086 recruited participants, a total of N = 701 participants were included in the main data analysis. The prevalence of fatigue on admission was high (84.6%) and decreased significantly by discharge (77.4%), with a mild effect size. Reaction times on the alertness subtest were abnormal in 70% of patients on admission and 50% on discharge. Sustained attention was abnormal in 55% of patients on admission, decreasing to 43% on discharge. These differences were significant with mild effect sizes. Furthermore, of the 27% of participants with pathological MoCA scores at admission, 63% improved to normative levels during rehabilitation, indicating a significant treatment effect (p≤.001). However, the MoCA demonstrated limited sensitivity in detecting attention deficits.The PoCoRe study highlights the high prevalence of neuropsychological deficits and fatigue in PCC patients, with notable improvements observed following multidisciplinary rehabilitation. Challenges remain in accurately identifying and addressing these deficits, underscoring the importance of comprehensive neuropsychological assessment and tailored rehabilitation interventions. Further research is warranted to optimize screening tools and enhance neuropsychological care for PCC patients in both rehabilitation and outpatient settings.• SARS-CoV-2-infection and following PCC: Complaints that are still present more than 12 weeks after the onset of SARS-CoV-2 infection and cannot be explained otherwise.

    Keywords: Post Covid condition (PCC), neurologic rehabilitation, Neuropsychology, Fatigue, MoCA = Montreal Cognitive Assessment

    Received: 26 Aug 2024; Accepted: 10 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Jöbges, Tempfli, Kohl, Herrmann, Kelm, Kupferschmitt, Montanari, Walter, Suetfels, Loew, Köllner and Hinterberger. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Michael Jöbges, Kliniken Schmieder Konstanz, Constance, Germany
    Melanie Tempfli, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, 78464, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

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