Cognitive impairment predicts engagement in inpatient stroke rehabilitation.

Patient engagement during inpatient rehabilitation is an important component of rehabilitation therapy, as lower levels of engagement are associated with poorer outcomes. Cognitive deficits may impact patient engagement during inpatient stroke rehabilitation. Here, we assess whether patient performance on the cognitive tasks of the 30-min National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke - Canadian Stroke Network (NINDS-CSN) screening battery predicts engagement in inpatient stroke rehabilitation. Prospective data from 110 participants completing inpatient stroke rehabilitation at an academic medical center were utilized for the present analyses. Cognitive functioning was assessed at inpatient stroke rehabilitation admission using the NINDS-CSN cognitive battery. Patient engagement was evaluated at discharge from an inpatient rehabilitation unit using the Hopkins Rehabilitation Engagement Rating Scale. The results demonstrate that the NINDS-CSN cognitive battery, specifically subtests measuring executive functioning, attention and processing speed, predicts patient engagement in inpatient stroke rehabilitation. Cognitively impaired patients undergoing rehabilitation may benefit from modifications and interventions to increase engagement and improve functional outcomes.

Frequency and profile of objective cognitive deficits in hospitalized patients recovering from COVID-19.

Early reports and case series suggest cognitive deficits occurs in some patients with COVID-19. We evaluated the frequency, severity, and profile of cognitive dysfunction in patients recovering from prolonged COVID-19 hospitalization who required acute inpatient rehabilitation prior to discharge. We analyzed cross-sectional scores from the Brief Memory and Executive Test (BMET) in a cohort of N = 57 COVID-19 patients undergoing inpatient rehabilitation, calculating the frequency of impairment based on neuropsychologist diagnosis and by age-normed BMET subtests. In total, 43 patients (75%) were male, 35 (61%) were non-white, and mean age was 64.5 (SD = 13.9) years. In total, 48 (84%) were previously living at home independently. Two patients had documented preexisting cognitive dysfunction; none had known dementia. Patients were evaluated at a mean of 43.2 (SD = 19.2) days after initial admission. In total, 50 patients (88%) had documented hypoxemic respiratory failure and 44 (77%) required intubation.  Forty-six patients (81%) had cognitive impairment, ranging from mild to severe. Deficits were common in working memory (26/47 [55%] of patients), set-shifting (21/44 [47%]), divided attention (18/39 [46%]), and processing speed (14/35 [40%]). Executive dysfunction was not significantly associated with intubation length or the time from extubation to assessment, psychiatric diagnosis, or preexisting cardiovascular/metabolic disease. Attention and executive functions are frequently impaired in COVID-19 patients who require acute rehabilitation prior to discharge. Though interpretation is limited by lack of a comparator group, these results provide an early benchmark for identifying and characterizing cognitive difficulties after COVID-19. Given the frequency and pattern of impairment, easy-to-disseminate interventions that target attention and executive dysfunctions may be beneficial to this population.

Neuropsychological functioning in severe acute respiratory disorders caused by the coronavirus: Implications for the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: The coronavirus class of respiratory viruses - including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) - has been associated with central nervous system (CNS) disease. In fact, multiple mechanisms of CNS involvement have been proposed, making it difficult to identify a unitary syndrome that can be the focus of clinical work and research. Neuropsychologists need to understand the potential cognitive and psychological sequelae of COVID-19 and the impact of the interventions (e.g., ICU, ventilation) that have been used in treating patients with severe forms of the illness.Method: We briefly review the literature regarding the neurological and neuropsychological effects of similar coronaviruses, the limited information that has been published to date on COVID-19, and the literature regarding the long-term cognitive and psychological effects of undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU).Results: We discuss the roles that neuropsychologists can play in assessing and treating the cognitive difficulties and psychiatric symptoms described.Conclusions: At this time, the mechanisms, correlates, and effects of COVID-19 are poorly understood, but information gleaned from the literature on similar viruses and utilized interventions should help inform neuropsychologists as they begin to work with this population.