BACKGROUND: In addition to the neurological complications affecting people infected with COVID-19, cognitive impairment symptoms and symptoms of anxiety and depression remain a frequent cause of complaints. The specificity of cognitive impairment in patients with COVID-19 is still poorly understood. AIM: An exploratory study of factors that may be associated with cognitive decline during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: The cross-sectional multicentre observational study was conducted in a polyclinic unit in Saint Petersburg and in the regions of the North-Western Federal Region. During the study, socio-demographic parameters and information about the somatic condition of patients who applied for primary health care was collected. Emotional and cognitive state were investigated using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Mathematical and statistical data processing was carried out using SPSS and RStudio statistical programs. RESULTS: The study included 515 participants, 60% (n=310) of which were women. The sample was divided into those who did (28.5%, n=147) and did not (71.4%, n=368) complain of cognitive decline. Patients with complaints of cognitive decline were significantly older, had lower levels of education and higher levels of depression and anxiety according to HADS (p 0.05). Patients with complaints of cognitive decline underwent the MoCA test (24.3%, n=125). The median MoCA test scores were within the normal range (Median=27, Q1=25, Q3=28), and cognitive decline (MoCA less than 26 points) was detected in 40% (n=50) of patients with complaints of cognitive decline. No significant correlations were found between the MoCA scores and the levels of anxiety and depression according to the HADS (p 0.05). Patients with mild severity of the COVID-19 course were more successful with MoCA subtests than patients with moderate and severe courses. CONCLUSION: We found no linear association between objective cognitive deficit and the affective state of respondents. Patients subjective complaints about cognitive dysfunction were mostly caused by their emotional state than an objective decrease of their cognitive functions. Therefore, in case of subjective complaints on cognitive decline, it is necessary to assess not only the cognitive but also the affective state of the patient. The severity of the COVID-19 course affects the functions of the cognitive sphere, including attention, regulatory functions and speech fluency. Mild and moderate severity of the COVID-19 correlates with clinically determined depression. The absence of this relationship with the severe course of the disease is probably explained by the significant somatic decompensation of patients.

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Background: the heterogeneity of schizophrenia impedes our efforts to provide adequate treatment. One step toward optimizing treatment is to deepen our understanding of cognitive variety in this disorder. Perhaps due to this heterogeneity, although visual impairment is a frequent symptom of schizophrenia, many studies show inconsistent data. The aim of our study was to identify homogeneous groups of patients with schizophrenia based on susceptibility to the Ponzo illusion, cognitive impairment degree (BACS T-score) and severity of mental state during therapy (Total PANSS score) and to examine the relationship between clinical parameters and the value of the illusion. Patients and methods: a prospective six-week observational study included 30 patients with the paranoid form of schizophrenia in the second week of stable antipsychotic monotherapy, 11 of whom dropped out due to exclusion criteria. At the second and eighth weeks of treatment, patients were assessed for susceptibility to the Ponzo illusion, cognitive impairment using a battery of BACS tests, and severity of mental status during a semi-structured interview using the PANSS scale. Results: the cluster analysis identified 2 clusters of patients who differed in their susceptibility to the Ponzo illusion. Patients in the first cluster (n = 9) with a significantly higher score on negative PANSS symptoms and marked cognitive impairment in the second and eighth weeks of therapy were prone to overestimate the Ponzo illusion, while patients in the second cluster (n = 10) were less susceptible to the Ponzo illusion. Conclusions: this study allowed us to identify two clusters of patients differing in the severity of cognitive and visual impairments, the relationship of susceptibility to Ponzo illusion with such clinical indicators as negative and cognitive symptoms was demonstrated, which confirms the informative value of using the visual illusion methodology as a marker of mental state.

IntroductionIn schizophrenia, there are disorders in all sensory modalities, but the regularities of their occurrence, their pathogenesis and attitude towards cognitive functions are not sufficiently studied.ObjectivesExamine the interrelation between the dysfunctions in different analysers (olfactory and visual) and their dependence on the duration of the disease and the severity of psychotic symptoms and cognitive deficit in schizophrenic patients (F20 according to ICD 10 criteria).MethodsAll subjects were determined the threshold of olfactory sensitivity to n-butanol, the ability to discriminate against odors and the amount of error in comparing the same sections. Cognitive functions were evaluated using the BACS scale.ResultsThe inverse correlation between the value of the visual assessment error and the reduction of the threshold of olfactory sensitivity (r=- 0.56; p < 0.05) and the inverse correlation between the value of the visual assessment error and the ability to discriminate smells (0.64; p < 0.05) were revealed. There are no significant correlations between the duration of the disease and sensory disturbances. Olfactory and visual disturbances in schizophrenic patients were connected with cognitive functions ((r=-0,62; p< 0,05 and r=-0,84, p< 0,001 accordingly).ConclusionsThe data confirm that sensory impairments have a common pathogenesis and are closely related to cognitive deficits. Sensory and cognitive deficits in schizophrenia may be the result of top-down regulation failure.DisclosureNo significant relationships.