ItemArticle

Executive Function Decline and Its Association With TNF-? in the Later Stages of Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID

Title
Executive Function Decline and Its Association With TNF-? in the Later Stages of Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID
Creator
Varenya, Aditi; Vijayalakshmi, K.; Babu, Mythri Rajeswara
Description
Beyond the immediate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, survivors often grapple with incapacitating post-infection symptoms, referred to as Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID (PASC) when persistent beyond 90 days. Cognitive manifestations, encompassing attention, memory, and executive functions (EF), collectively termed brain fog, contribute to functional challenges in PASC. This infection also elicits a long-lasting pro-inflammatory response that persists even after viral clearance, potentially correlated with brain fog. However, it is unclear whether pro-inflammatory responses and cognitive sequelae persist beyond 1 year after the onset of infection. Thus, this study sought to investigate the long-term consequences of PASC on EFs as well as a potential association with markers of inflammation. Forty individuals with PASC who passed performance validity testing (PVT) and 40 matched healthy controls (HC) underwent neuropsychological assessments, including the Montreal Cognitive Assessment to assess global cognition, Victoria Stroop Test to assess inhibitory control, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test to assess cognitive flexibility, Digit Span Task to assess working memory, and Mackworth Clock Test to assess sustained attention on the Psychology Experiment Building Language (PEBL) toolkit. Serum was assayed for tumor necrosis factor-? (TNF-?) and interleukin-10 (IL-10). Results indicate significant EF decline in PASC, inversely correlated with serum TNF-? concentrations, approximately 562 225 days after the onset of infection. Thus, there exists protracted EF decline in PASC, persistent even beyond 1 year after the onset of infection. Increased levels of TNF-? are observed to be associated with poorer executive functioning in PASC. 2025 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Source
Journal of Neuroscience Research;Volume;103;Issue;6;Article No.;e70051;
Date
01-01-2025
Publisher
John Wiley and Sons Inc
Subject
brain fog; cognitive decline; executive functions; inflammation; post-COVID syndrome
Coverage
Varenya A., Department of Psychology, Christ University (deemed to be), Karnataka, Bangalore, India; Vijayalakshmi K., Department of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health and NeuroSciences (NIMHANS), Karnataka, Bangalore, India; Babu M.R., Department of Psychology, Christ University (deemed to be), Karnataka, Bangalore, India
Rights
Restricted Access; Hardcopy may be available in the library
Relation
ISSN: 3604012; CODEN: JNRED
Format
online
Language
English
Type
Article

Citation

Varenya, Aditi; Vijayalakshmi, K.; Babu, Mythri Rajeswara, “Executive Function Decline and Its Association With TNF-? in the Later Stages of Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID,” CHRIST (Deemed To Be University) Institutional Repository, accessed June 19, 2026, https://archives.christuniversity.in/items/show/21784.

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