Cognitive function in middle-aged women not worsened by COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic and pandemic-related events do not appear to have resulted in cognitive decline in middle-aged women, according to a study.

Researchers used data from the Nurses’ Health Study II and looked at 5,191 women who completed two to eight objective cognitive assessments both prior to (2014–2020) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (mean age at first cognitive assessment 63.0 years).

The primary outcomes included two standardized composite cognitive scores (psychomotor speed and attention, learning, and working memory) and a global score, with higher scores indicating better cognitive function. Cognitive function was assessed using the Cogstate Brief Battery, which was administered every 6 to 12 months.

The participants contributed to a total of 23,678 cognitive assessments. Cognitive function remained stable between assessments taken during vs before the pandemic (psychomotor speed and attention: β, −0.01, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], −0.05 to 0.02; learning and working memory: β, 0.00, 95 percent CI, −0.03 to 0.03; global score: β, 0.00, 95 percent CI, −0.03 to 0.02). The analyses were adjusted for age at cognitive assessment, educational level for both participants and their parents, cognitive test practice effects, and comorbidities (eg, diabetes, hypertension).

In a subgroup of 4,456 participants who responded to the COVID-19 substudy (ie, surveys about pandemic-related events), cognitive function was reduced for those with a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection (3.7 percent) or post–COVID-19 conditions (1.4 percent) at a median of 20.0 months after initial infection relative to participants without such a history. However, the observed difference was not significant.