Biomedical Perspectives of Acute and Chronic Neurological and Neuropsychiatric Sequelae of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
George B. Stefano ◽  
Pascal Büttiker ◽  
Simon Weissenberger ◽  
Radek Ptacek ◽  
Fuzhou Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Etiologic Agent ◽  
Neurological Dysfunction ◽  
Neurocognitive Deficits ◽  
Multiple Parameters ◽  
Susceptibility To Infection ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Poor Mental Health Status ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Manifestations

: The incidence of infections from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiologic agent for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has dramatically escalated following the initial outbreak in China in late 2019, resulting in a global pandemic with millions of deaths. Although the majority of infected patients survive, and the rapid advent and deployment of vaccines have afforded increased immunity against SARS-CoV-2, long term sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection have become increasingly recognized. These include, but are not limited to, chronic pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disorders, and proinflammatory-associated neurological dysfunction that may lead to psychological and neurocognitive impairment. A major component of cognitive dysfunction is operationally categorized as “brain fog” which comprises difficulty with concentration, forgetfulness, confusion, depression, and fatigue. Multiple parameters associated with long-term neuropsychiatric sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been detailed in clinical studies. Empirically elucidated mechanisms associated with the neuropsychiatric manifestations of COVID-19 are by nature complex, but broad based working models have focused on mitochondrial dysregulation leading to systemic reductions of metabolic activity and cellular bioenergetics within CNS structures. Multiple factors underlying the expression of brain fog may facilitate future pathogenic insults leading to repetitive cycles of viral and bacterial propagation. Interestingly, diverse neurocognitive sequelae associated with COVID-19 are not dissimilar from those observed in other historical pandemics, thereby providing a broad and integrative perspective on potential common mechanisms of CNS dysfunction subsequent to viral infection. Poor mental health status may be reciprocally linked to compromised immune processes and enhanced susceptibility to infection by diverse pathogens. By extrapolation, we contend that COVID-19 may potentiate the severity of neurological/neurocognitive deficits in patients afflicted by well-studied neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson’s disease. Accordingly, the prevention, diagnosis, and management of sustained neuropsychiatric manifestations of COVID-19 are pivotal health care directives and provide a compelling rationale for careful monitoring of infected patients, as early mitigation efforts may reduce short- and long-term complications.

scholarly journals Neuropsychiatric and Cognitive Sequelae of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanjay Kumar ◽  
Alfred Veldhuis ◽  
Tina Malhotra
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Manifestations ◽  
Long Term Impact ◽  
Viral Respiratory Infections

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is likely to have long-term mental health effects on individuals who have recovered from COVID-19. Rightly, there is a global response for recognition and planning on how to deal with mental health problems for everyone impacted by the global pandemic. This does not just include COVID-19 patients but the general public and health care workers as well. There is also a need to understand the role of the virus itself in the pathophysiology of mental health disorders and longer-term mental health sequelae. Emerging evidence suggests that COVID-19 patients develop neurological symptoms such as headache, altered consciousness, and paraesthesia. Brain tissue oedema and partial neurodegeneration have also been observed in an autopsy. In addition, there are reports that the virus has the potential to cause nervous system damage. Together, these findings point to a possible role of the virus in the development of acute psychiatric symptoms and long-term neuropsychiatric sequelae of COVID-19. The brain pathologies associated with COVID-19 infection is likely to have a long-term impact on cognitive processes. Evidence from other viral respiratory infections, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), suggests a potential development of psychiatric disorders, long-term neuropsychiatric disorders, and cognitive problems. In this paper, we will review and evaluate the available evidence of acute and possible long-term neuropsychiatric manifestations of COVID-19. We will discuss possible pathophysiological mechanisms and the implications this will have on preparing a long-term strategy to monitor and manage such patients.

scholarly journals Behavioral medicine challenges in the shadow of a global pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alyssa T Brooks ◽  
Hannah K Allen ◽  
Louise Thornton ◽  
Tracy Trevorrow
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Health Behavior ◽  
Health Behaviors ◽  
Natural Experiment ◽  
Direct Effects ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Future Data ◽  
Short And Long Term

Abstract Health behavior researchers should refocus and retool as it becomes increasingly clear that the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic surpass the direct effects of COVID-19 and include unique, drastic, and ubiquitous consequences for health behavior. The circumstances of the pandemic have created a natural experiment, allowing researchers focusing on a wide range of health behaviors and populations with the opportunity to use previously collected and future data to study: (a) changes in health behavior prepandemic and postpandemic, (b) health behavior prevalence and needs amidst the pandemic, and (c) the effects of the pandemic on short- and long-term health behavior. Our field is particularly challenged as we attempt to consider biopsychosocial, political, and environmental factors that affect health and health behavior. These realities, while daunting, should call us to action to refocus and retool our research, prevention, and intervention efforts

scholarly journals COVID-19 related mortality in post-operative cardiac surgical patients

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Azhar Hussain ◽  
Amina Khalil ◽  
Priyanka Kolvekar ◽  
Prity Gupta ◽  
Shyamsunder Kolvekar
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Surgery ◽  
Long Term Outcomes ◽  
Case Presentation ◽  
Elective Cardiac Surgery ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Cardiac Operations ◽  
Related Mortality

Abstract Background COVID-19 has caused a global pandemic of unprecedented proportions. Elective cardiac surgery has been universally postponed with only urgent and emergency cardiac operations being performed. The National Health Service in the United Kingdom introduced national measures to conserve intensive care beds and significantly limit elective activity shortly after lockdown. Case presentation We report two cases of early post-operative mortality secondary to COVID-19 infection immediately prior to the implementation of these widespread measures. Conclusion The role of cardiac surgery in the presence of COVID-19 is still very unpredictable and further studies on both short term and long term outcomes are warranted.

scholarly journals Integrated photothermal decontamination device for N95 respirators

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcelo Muñoz ◽  
Maxime Comtois-Bona ◽  
David Cortes ◽  
Cagla Eren Cimenci ◽  
Qiujiang Du ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Temperature Treatment ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Effective Vaccine ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Photothermal Treatment ◽  
Mild Temperature ◽  
N95 Respirators ◽  
Uv C

AbstractThe severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) responsible for the COVID-19 global pandemic has infected over 25 million people worldwide and resulted in the death of millions. The COVID-19 pandemic has also resulted in a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) in many regions around the world, particularly in middle- and low-income countries. The shortages of PPE, such as N95 respirators, is something that will persist until an effective vaccine is made available. Thus, devices that while being easy to operate can also be rapidly deployed in health centers, and long-term residences without the need for major structural overhaul are instrumental to sustainably use N95 respirators. In this report, we present the design and validation of a decontamination device that combines UV-C & B irradiation with mild-temperature treatment. The device can decontaminate up to 20 masks in a cycle of < 30 min. The decontamination process did not damage or reduce the filtering capacity of the masks. Further, the efficacy of the device to eliminate microbes and viruses from the masks was also evaluated. The photothermal treatment of our device was capable of eradicating > 99.9999% of the bacteria and > 99.99% of the virus tested.

scholarly journals Psychiatric comorbid disorders of cognition: a machine learning approach using 1175 UK Biobank participants

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 140-145
Author(s):  
Chenlu Li ◽  
Delia A Gheorghe ◽  
John E Gallacher ◽  
Sarah Bauermeister
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Uk Biobank

BackgroundConceptualising comorbidity is complex and the term is used variously. Here, it is the coexistence of two or more diagnoses which might be defined as ‘chronic’ and, although they may be pathologically related, they may also act independently. Of interest here is the comorbidity of common psychiatric disorders and impaired cognition.ObjectivesTo examine whether anxiety and/or depression are/is important longitudinal predictors of cognitive change.MethodsUK Biobank participants used at three time points (n=502 664): baseline, first follow-up (n=20 257) and first imaging study (n=40 199). Participants with no missing data were 1175 participants aged 40–70 years, 41% women. Machine learning was applied and the main outcome measure of reaction time intraindividual variability (cognition) was used.FindingsUsing the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, the anxiety model achieves the best performance with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.68, followed by the depression model with an AUC of 0.63. The cardiovascular and diabetes model, and the covariates model have weaker performance in predicting cognition, with an AUC of 0.60 and 0.56, respectively.ConclusionsOutcomes suggest that psychiatric disorders are more important comorbidities of long-term cognitive change than diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and demographic factors. Findings suggest that psychiatric disorders (anxiety and depression) may have a deleterious effect on long-term cognition and should be considered as an important comorbid disorder of cognitive decline.Clinical implicationsImportant predictive effects of poor mental health on longitudinal cognitive decline should be considered in secondary and also primary care.

scholarly journals Cognitive impairments induced by necrotizing enterocolitis can be prevented by inhibiting microglial activation in mouse brain

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (471) ◽  
pp. eaan0237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego F. Niño ◽  
Qinjie Zhou ◽  
Yukihiro Yamaguchi ◽  
Laura Y. Martin ◽  
Sanxia Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Necrotizing Enterocolitis ◽  
Microglial Activation ◽  
Gastrointestinal Disease ◽  
Cognitive Impairments ◽  
High Mobility ◽  
Neurological Dysfunction ◽  
Mucosal Inflammation ◽  
Signaling Axis ◽  
The Brain

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a severe gastrointestinal disease of the premature infant. One of the most important long-term complications observed in children who survive NEC early in life is the development of profound neurological impairments. However, the pathways leading to NEC-associated neurological impairments remain unknown, thus limiting the development of prevention strategies. We have recently shown that NEC development is dependent on the expression of the lipopolysaccharide receptor Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) on the intestinal epithelium, whose activation by bacteria in the newborn gut leads to mucosal inflammation. Here, we hypothesized that damage-induced production of TLR4 endogenous ligands in the intestine might lead to activation of microglial cells in the brain and promote cognitive impairments. We identified a gut-brain signaling axis in an NEC mouse model in which activation of intestinal TLR4 signaling led to release of high-mobility group box 1 in the intestine that, in turn, promoted microglial activation in the brain and neurological dysfunction. We further demonstrated that an orally administered dendrimer-based nanotherapeutic approach to targeting activated microglia could prevent NEC-associated neurological dysfunction in neonatal mice. These findings shed light on the molecular pathways leading to the development of NEC-associated brain injury, provide a rationale for early removal of diseased intestine in NEC, and indicate the potential of targeted therapies that protect the developing brain in the treatment of NEC in early childhood.

Electrophysiological Signs of Neurocognitive Deficits in Long-Term Leukemia Survivors

1988 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Heukrodt ◽  
Morris Powazek ◽  
Warren S. Brown ◽  
Denise Kennelly ◽  
Charles Imbus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neurocognitive Deficits

Improvement in Cognitive Abilities, Mental and Emotional Well-being of Teenagers following a Meditation Retreat: An Open-Trial pilot study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Divya Kanchibhotla ◽  
Saumya Subramanian ◽  
Shashank Kulkarni
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Cognitive Capacity ◽  
World Health ◽  
Repeated Measure ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Meditation Retreat ◽  
Mental Well Being

Background: Background: Today’s teenagers face several challenges that result in poor mental health, depression and anxiety. Several studies in the past decade have explored meditation as an adjunctive therapy for mental illness however the long term residual benefits of meditation have rarely been studied. Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the benefits of a four day meditation retreat on cognitive abilities, mental and emotional well-being of teenagers. Methods: 303 teenagers participated in this study. Cognitive abilities of the students were measured using theSix letter cancellation test (SLCT). Mental and emotional well-being was measured using World Health Organization Well-being index (WHO-5) and Strength and Difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) respectively. Data analysis was performed using paired sample t-test and repeated measure ANOVA. Results: Teenagers demonstrated a 33% increase in average accuracy for SLCT post intervention. WHO-5 mental well-being index scores also increased significantly (p <1). The participants experienced significant reduction in emotional problems and hyperactivity as measured by SDQ. The benefits of the retreat continued to persist, when measured after 40 days of the intervention. Conclusion: A well-structured meditation retreat has significant and long term benefits on teenagers’ mental well-being, emotional stability and cognitive capacity.

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