Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42135397›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2026

The impact of psychological distress on working memory during COVID-19 by disentangling cognitive deficits from emotional burden.

Klimt Chiara, Trapp Sabrina, Heneka Michael, Widmann Catherine

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

4 authors.

Klimt Chiara *Macromedia University of Applied Sciences, München, Germany. chiara.klimt@web.de.
Trapp Sabrina *Macromedia University of Applied Sciences, München, Germany.
Heneka MichaelLuxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
Widmann CatherineDepartment of Neurology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.

Funding

Bundesministerium für Gesundheit 01K/20343
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on public health and human cognitive functioning, with studies highlighting deficits in attention, executive function, and working memory. In this study, we examine the relationship between working memory performance and anxiety, psychosomatic symptoms, and psychological distress-variables known to influence cognitive functioning. Our findings reveal that psychological distress accounted for a significant portion of the variance in visual working memory performance, particularly during the early stages of the disease when distress levels were at their peak. These results underscore the importance of distinguishing the direct effects of COVID-19 on brain structures from the broader psychological toll. These findings highlight the need for rehabilitation programs to address not only cognitive impairments but also the psychological burden faced by patients, ensuring a more holistic approach to recovery.

Indexed as

Cognitive DysfunctionCOVID-19Memory, Short-TermPsychological DistressStress, PsychologicalAdultAnxietyFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSARS-CoV-2AnxietyCo-variatesOverlearningStressVisual working memory

Identifiers

PMID42135397
PMCPMC13176335

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

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.