Session Information
Session Title: AA 2021 Virtual Posters - Pandemic
Session Time: None. Available on demand.
Disclosures: Gabriela M. Rozanski, PhD, PT: No financial relationships or conflicts of interest
Objective: To investigate the effects of an online rehabilitation program (NeuronUp) in participants who experienced cognitive dysfunction after Covid19.
Design: Adopter versus non-adopter (control group) analysis of prospective pre-post study.Setting : Hospital research center affiliated with post-acute Covid19 care clinic.Participants : 58 subjects (27% male, mean age 48 years old) with cognitive impairment (20% mild, 41% moderate, 23% severe) following Covid19 infection were enrolled.
Interventions: Subjects received access to NeuronUp sessions for improving memory, attention, language and executive function (30 minutes duration, 3 times weekly for 8 weeks).
Main Outcome Measures: Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders Short Form v2.0 – Cognitive Function (NeuroQoL-CF, primary outcome), General Anxiety Disorder-7, Fatigue Severity Scale, EuroQoL EQ-5D-5L (usual activities dimension).
Results: There were 39 individuals who participated in the NeuronUp program (adopters, median sessions started = 3/24). Adopters reported fatigue associated with Covid19 infection at a higher frequency (33/38 versus 9/16, p=0.014) and had significantly worse cognitive impairment at pre and post-intervention compared to the non-adopter group (NeuroQoL-CF mean ± SD; 19.1 ± 5.7 versus 22.6 ± 5.1, p = 0.026 and 20.2 ± 6.7 versus 23.9 ± 6.7, p = 0.048). Subjects who had lower cognitive function participated in more NeuronUp sessions; however, there was no significant difference between the groups in NeuroQoL-CF change over the study period. Global fatigue worsened for adopters, who reported higher fatigue severity and more difficulty with usual activities than controls post-intervention.Conclusions: Level of participation in the NeuronUp program was higher for subjects with more impairment. This online intervention did not effectively improve self-reported cognitive function and other symptoms. Fatigue may be a determining factor for the effectiveness and optimal timing of cognitive rehabilitation programs delivered to individuals after Covid19.
Level of Evidence: Level III
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Rozanski GM, Putrino D, Sastre C, Ren I, Tabacof L, Cortes M, Iverson B. Effectiveness of a Web-based Cognitive Rehabilitation Program for Individuals with Long Covid Syndrome [abstract]. PM R. 2021; 13(S1)(suppl 1). https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/effectiveness-of-a-web-based-cognitive-rehabilitation-program-for-individuals-with-long-covid-syndrome/. Accessed May 11, 2025.« Back to AAPM&R Annual Assembly 2021
PM&R Meeting Abstracts - https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/effectiveness-of-a-web-based-cognitive-rehabilitation-program-for-individuals-with-long-covid-syndrome/