TREATMENT OF COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE SYMPTOMS IN LONG COVID

The results of the COV-COG study are now published in Brain Communication. The study assessed the effectiveness of two interventions designed to alleviate the cognitive difficulties experienced on a daily basis by people with Long COVID. Two psychoeducation programs were compared: one focused on cognitive aspects, the other on emotional aspects. One hundred and thirty patients with Long COVID were included and randomly assigned to one of the two programs. The programs consisted of four 90-minute sessions spread over a month (one per week). The effectiveness of the interventions was assessed primarily by comparing self-reported attention and memory difficulties before and after the intervention, as well as 8 months later to evaluate long-term effectiveness. Following the two interventions, we observed a slight decrease in cognitive complaints and an improvement in cognitive performance, quality of life, fatigue, and sleep. The results did not show that one program was superior to the other, but each had specific benefits. The study highlights the feasibility and relevance of this type of approach, while suggesting that a longer intervention could reinforce the observed effects.

https://academic.oup.com/braincomms/article/7/6/fcaf447/8320433?login=false

https://kce.fgov.be/en/kce-trials/funded-trials/covcog-immediate-and-long-term-cognitive-and-quality-of-life-improvement-after-cognitive-versus

Cabello Fernandez, C., Didone, V., Lesoinne, A., Slama, H., Fery, P., Rousseau, A. F., Moutschen, M., COVCOG group , Collette, F., & Willems, S. (2025). Cognitive and affective psychoeducation for Long COVID: a randomized controlled trial. Brain communications, 7(6), fcaf447. https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcaf447