Cognitive-linguistic impairments in people with COVID-19: a systematic review of the empirical literature

As of the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, warnings began to be made about the presence of a possible pattern of general cognitive impairment and executive functions among those who have suffered it. The objective of this study was to carry out a systematic integration of empirical studies on this relationship. A systematic review of the electronic literature was carried out in Google Scholar, PubMed and ScienceDirect, according to the PRISMA guidelines. 35 studies were collected between case studies, cohort studies and experimental investigations. It was found that, there is no clear neuropsychological functioning pattern in those affected by COVID-19, the idea of a predominant affectation on executive functioning, attention, memory, lexical fluency is reinforced, to which is added certain affectation of other elements of language. It is recommended to continue investigating the presence of long-term neuropsychological sequelae from COVID-19 and expanding the target populations to asymptomatic, symptomatic outpatients, and patients with persistent COVID-19.