Professor Paul Harrison, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford said: “Understanding the long-term cognitive and psychiatric consequences of COVID-19 hospitalisation is important for many people, both patients and health professionals alike. We hope these findings will stimulate more research into the development of effective interventions to help prevent and treat these brain consequences of COVID-19.”

The researchers caution that while this study provides insights into the long-term effects of COVID-19, further research is essential to develop effective interventions. Understanding the biological mechanisms driving these symptoms and identifying therapeutic strategies to promote cognitive recovery or prevent further decline are crucial next steps, they say.

The study sample was made up of individuals who were hospitalised during the first wave of the pandemic (and hence not vaccinated at the time of the infection) and who consented to follow-up assessments (only 20% of those invited), which may mean the findings are not generalisable to others (for example, people who did not require admission due to COVID-19).

Professor Chris Brightling, Clinical Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Leicester, said: “This study reveals important long-term brain-related symptoms following COVID-19 and highlights the urgent need for better disease understanding of long-Covid, and new treatments.”

PHOSP-COVID is a consortium of scientists from across the UK, researching long-term health outcomes for patients hospitalised with COVID-19. The study was funded by MQ Mental Health Research and the Wolfson Foundation, and supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centres in Leicester and Oxford Health.