Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40057581›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Longitudinal trajectories of cognitive, functional, and neuropsychiatric decline in Alzheimer's disease during COVID-19 lockdown in South Korea.

Hahyun Lee, Soojin Shin, Gieun Nam, Seyul Kwak, Yoon Soo Cho, Eunji Hwang, Sohee Oh, So Yoon Kim, So Young Yoo, Jun-Young Lee

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Hahyun LeeInterdisciplinary Program in Cognitive Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Soojin ShinDepartment of Psychiatry, Seoul Metropolitan Government-Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, 20 Boramae-Ro 5-Gil, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, 07061, Republic of Korea.
Gieun NamDepartment of Psychiatry, Seoul Metropolitan Government-Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, 20 Boramae-Ro 5-Gil, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, 07061, Republic of Korea.
Seyul KwakDepartment of Psychiatry, Seoul Metropolitan Government-Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, 20 Boramae-Ro 5-Gil, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, 07061, Republic of Korea.
Yoon Soo ChoKeimyung University School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
Eunji HwangDepartment of Psychiatry, Seoul Metropolitan Government-Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, 20 Boramae-Ro 5-Gil, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, 07061, Republic of Korea.
Sohee OhMedical Research Collaborating Center, Seoul Metropolitan Government-Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
So Yoon KimGraduate school of Public Health, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
So Young YooDepartment of Psychiatry, Seoul Metropolitan Government-Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, 20 Boramae-Ro 5-Gil, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, 07061, Republic of Korea. soyoung.yoo@snu.ac.kr.
Jun-Young LeeInterdisciplinary Program in Cognitive Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. benji@snu.ac.kr.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and its interaction with COVID-19-induced social isolation remains poorly understood. This study investigated the longitudinal trajectories of AD severity on cognitive function, functional ability, and neuropsychiatric symptoms, and examined the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on AD patients in South Korea. In this retrospective longitudinal study, data from 253 adults (aged ≥ 55) diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or AD were analyzed, collected between 2018 and 2022. Participants were classified into four groups based on clinical dementia rating (CDR) scores: MCI, AD-CDR0.5, AD-CDR1, and AD-CDR2. Cognitive function, functional abilities, neuropsychiatric symptoms, depressive symptoms, and overall dementia severity were assessed. Linear mixed-effects models, along with mediation and moderation analyses were employed to analyze the data. Significant trajectories of decline in cognitive function and functional abilities were observed over time, with more pronounced declines in higher AD severity groups. The COVID-19 lockdown exacerbated cognitive decline and impairment in activities of daily living (ADL) specifically in the most severe AD group (AD-CDR2). Instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) mediated the relationship between mini-mental state examination (MMSE) scores and CDR sum of boxes (CDR-SB) in the MCI, AD-CDR0.5, and AD-CDR1 groups. A significant interaction between MMSE scores and neuropsychiatric symptoms was observed in the moderate AD group (AD-CDR1), indicating that worsening neuropsychiatric symptoms intensified cognitive decline. Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) scores increased over time, indicating worsening neuropsychiatric symptoms, whereas depressive symptoms, measured by the short geriatric depression scale (SGDS), remained stable over the study period. This study highlights the impact of AD severity on cognitive and functional decline, further exacerbated by the COVID-19 lockdown. The mediating role of IADL suggests that maintaining complex daily activities may be crucial in slowing disease progression in AD patients. Additionally, the worsening of neuropsychiatric symptoms underscores the need for targeted mental health support, especially during periods of social isolation, to mitigate adverse effects on patients and caregivers.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseCognitionCognitive DysfunctionCOVID-19Activities of Daily LivingAgedAged, 80 and overDisease ProgressionFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedNeuropsychological TestsRepublic of KoreaRetrospective StudiesAlzheimer’s diseaseCognitive declineCOVID-19 lockdownFunctional abilityNeuropsychiatric symptoms

Identifiers

PMID40057581
PMCPMC11890767

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.