Computer Cognitive Training for Post-acute COVID-19 Syndrome

Over the course of the past several years, it has become apparent that a number of individuals have residual symptoms after COVID-19 infection after they have recovered from the acute phase of the illness (Al-Aly, Xie, & Bowe, 2021; Davis et al., 2021; Greenhalgh, Knight, A'Court, Buxton, & Husain, 2020; Hewitt et al., 2021). The constellation of symptoms experienced by these individuals has been termed "post-acute COVID syndrome" or PACS (Nalbandian et al., 2021). A key part of helping affected individuals is supporting their efforts at self-management of these symptoms (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2020; Wade, 2020). Although a diverse number of physical and psychological symptoms have been seen as sequelae of COVID (Davis et al., 2021), among the most troubling for patients have been difficulties in attention, concentration, working memory, and long-term memory, commonly referred to as "brain fog" (Graham et al., 2021; Hampshire et al., 2021; Hewitt et al., 2021). In the proposed study, we will complete a pilot study of game-based cognitive training in persons with symptoms of long COVID using a protocol that was useful and acceptable to participants in a previous study (Ownby & Kim, 2021). We will explore participants' views on the cognitive training intervention, its effects on their perceived cognitive functioning, and assess the intervention's impact on participants' processing speed. We will also explore their preferences for type of cognitive training activity and the impact of information about memory functioning.

Inclusion criteria

• Persons with a history of COVID-19 infection confirmed through screening of symptom pattern or testing and report of mental symptoms (difficulties in attention, memory, or executive functions such as coordinating two activities at once) more than 30 days after resolution of the initial acute infection.

Exclusion criteria

• Cognitive or psychiatric conditions of a severity that precludes the person's ability to give informed consent for their participation or to attend and cooperate with assessment and training, as judged by the investigators.