ArticleEuropean journal of neurology2022
Altered motor cortex physiology and dysexecutive syndrome in patients with fatigue and cognitive difficulties after mild COVID-19.
Article in European journal of neurology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 46 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
46 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 85 citations in OpenAlex.
- Brain fog with long covid and chemotherapy: systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ mental health · 2025Pooled it
- Meta-analysis of Cognitive Function Following Non-severe SARS-CoV-2 Infection.Neuropsychology review · 2025Pooled it
- Cognitive domains affected post-COVID-19; a systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of neurology · 2025Pooled it
- Co-ultramicronized palmitoylethanolamide/luteolin normalizes GABAClinical neurophysiology : official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2023Trial
- Clinical utility and prospective of TMS-EEG: Updated review from an international expert group.Clinical neurophysiology : official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2026Review
- COVID-19-associated neurological and psychological manifestations.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2025Review
- Pursuing Reduction in Fatigue After COVID-19 via Exercise and Rehabilitation (PREFACER): a protocol for a randomised feasibility trial.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Cognitive and Psychological Symptoms in Post-COVID-19 Condition: A Systematic Review of Structural and Functional Neuroimaging, Neurophysiology, and Intervention Studies.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translation · 2025Review
- What would it take to prove that a chronic infection is a causal agent in Alzheimer's disease?Trends in neurosciences · 2025Review
- Hamsters with long COVID present distinct transcriptomic profiles associated with neurodegenerative processes in brainstem.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Height-dependent variation in corticospinal excitability modulation after active but not sham intermittent theta burst stimulation.IBRO neuroscience reports · 2025Article
- Improvement of Fatigue and Body Composition in Women with Long COVID After Non-Aerobic Therapeutic Exercise Program.Journal of personalized medicine · 2025Article
- White matter changes in recovered COVID-19 patients: insights from DTI, DKI, and NODDI metrics.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Article
- Defining and measuring long COVID fatigue: a scoping review.BMJ open · 2024Article
- Clinical features and predictive nomogram for fatigue sequelae in non-severe patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in Shanghai, China.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2024Article
- Characterization model of the post COVID-19 condition based on immunological, biochemical, and cytokine markers.iScience · 2024Article
- PFC/M1 activation and excitability: a longitudinal cohort study on fatigue symptoms in healthcare workers post-COVID-19.Journal of translational medicine · 2024Article
- Exploring the impact of cognitive dysfunction, fatigue, and shortness of breath on activities of daily life after COVID-19 infection, until 1-year follow-up.Journal of rehabilitation medicine · 2024Article
- Review
- Procedural Motor Memory Deficits in Patients With Long-COVID.Neurology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
14 authors at 6 institutions in 5 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
background and purposeFatigue and cognitive difficulties are reported as the most frequently persistent symptoms in patients after mild SARS-CoV-2 infection. An extensive neurophysiological and neuropsychological assessment of such patients was performed focusing on motor cortex physiology and executive cognitive functions.
methodsSixty-seven patients complaining of fatigue and/or cognitive difficulties after resolution of mild SARS-CoV-2 infection were enrolled together with 22 healthy controls (HCs). Persistent clinical symptoms were investigated by means of a 16-item questionnaire. Fatigue, exertion, cognitive difficulties, mood and 'well-being' were evaluated through self-administered tools. Utilizing transcranial magnetic stimulation of the primary motor cortex (M1) resting motor threshold, motor evoked potential amplitude, cortical silent period duration, short-interval intracortical inhibition, intracortical facilitation, long-interval intracortical inhibition and short-latency afferent inhibition were evaluated. Global cognition and executive functions were assessed with screening tests. Attention was measured with computerized tasks.
resultsPost COVID-19 patients reported a mean of 4.9 persistent symptoms, high levels of fatigue, exertion, cognitive difficulties, low levels of well-being and reduced mental well-being. Compared to HCs, patients presented higher resting motor thresholds, lower motor evoked potential amplitudes and longer cortical silent periods, concurring with reduced M1 excitability. Long-interval intracortical inhibition and short-latency afferent inhibition were also impaired, indicating altered GABA
conclusionsPatients with fatigue and cognitive difficulties following mild COVID-19 present altered excitability and neurotransmission within M1 and deficits in executive functions and attention.
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