Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40567450›Full record

ArticleNeuroimage. Reports2025

Cognitive functioning and brain MRI findings six months after acute COVID-19. A prospective observational study.

Janne Pihlajamaa, Henriikka Ollila, Juha Martola, Linda Kuusela, Riikka Pihlaja, Annamari Tuulio-Henriksson, Sanna Koskinen, Viljami Salmela, Laura Hokkanen, Marjaana Tiainen and 1 more

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Article in Neuroimage. Reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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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

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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

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No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Janne PihlajamaaHUS Medical Imaging Centre, Radiology, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Henriikka OllilaDepartment of Perioperative and Intensive Care, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Juha MartolaHUS Medical Imaging Centre, Radiology, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Linda KuuselaHUS Medical Imaging Centre, Radiology, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Riikka PihlajaDepartment of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Annamari Tuulio-HenrikssonDepartment of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Sanna KoskinenDepartment of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Viljami SalmelaDepartment of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Laura HokkanenDepartment of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Marjaana TiainenDepartment of Neurology, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Johanna HästbackaDepartment of Perioperative and Intensive Care, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: COVID-19 has been linked to many neurological complications, including cognitive impairment and findings in brain imaging. However, limited data exist regarding the link between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and cognitive functioning in COVID-19 patients.In this observational prospective study, we investigated the association between brain MRI findings, particularly cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) and white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), and cognitive functioning in COVID-19 survivors. Methods: Six months after acute COVID-19 diagnosed in 2020, 67 ICU-treated, 44 ward-treated, and 44 home-isolated patients, as well as 48 non-COVID-19 controls, underwent MRI and comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation. We applied multivariable linear regression models to investigate the independent associations of total cognitive score and domain scores separately with CMBs, WMHs and other factors. Results: Age (p < 0.001, β = -0.36) and educational level (p < 0.001, β = 0.42) predominantly explained the differences in cognitive functioning. A lower total cognitive score was associated with the number of CMBs (p = 0.0016), but not with COVID-19 (p = 0.714). Among COVID-19 patients, treatment in a regular ward (p = 0.007, β = -0.46), a high burden of WMHs (p = 0.004, β = -1.35), and having one to three CMBs (p = 0.01, β = -0.43) were associated with lower total cognitive scores. Conclusion: We observed a significant association between the presence of CMBs and lower cognitive scores, regardless of COVID-19 history. However, our results do not support CMBs to be independently associated with cognitive functioning. Additionally, WMH burden was associated with lower cognitive scores.

Indexed as

Cerebral microbleedsCognitive functioningCOVID-19Long-termMRI

Identifiers

PMID40567450
PMCPMC12172750

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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.