Sleep quality mediates the association between chronotype and mental health in young Indian adults.

There is increasing recognition of 'higher preference for eveningness' as a potential independent risk factor for poor mental health. To examine the chronotype-mental health relationship while also quantifying the potential roles of poor sleep quality, relevant personality traits, and childhood trauma, we assessed 282 young adults (18-40 years; 195 females) residing in North India, between January and March 2023 (to control for seasonal variation), using self-report measures of diurnal preference, sleep patterns, mental health (depression, anxiety, and stress), personality traits (extraversion, neuroticism, schizotypy, and impulsivity), and childhood trauma. The results showed a significant association between eveningness and poor mental health but this association was fully mediated by poor sleep quality. Neuroticism, emotional abuse and cognitive disorganisation were correlated with eveningness as well as with poor mental health and sleep quality. Neuroticism and emotional abuse, but not cognitive disorganisation, also had indirect effects on mental health via sleep quality. Our findings highlight the crucial role played by sleep quality in the chronotype-mental health relationship.

Cognitive and mental health trajectories of COVID-19: Role of hospitalisation and long-COVID symptoms.

BACKGROUND: There is considerable evidence of cognitive impairment post COVID-19, especially in individuals with long-COVID symptoms, but limited research objectively evaluating whether such impairment attenuates or resolves over time, especially in young and middle-aged adults. METHODS: Follow-up assessments (T2) of cognitive function (processing speed, attention, working memory, executive function, memory) and mental health were conducted in 138 adults (18-69 years) who had been assessed 6 months earlier (T1). Of these, 88 had a confirmed history of COVID-19 at T1 assessment (≥20 days post-diagnosis) and were also followed-up on COVID-19-related symptoms (acute and long-COVID); 50 adults had no known COVID-19 history at any point up to their T2 assessment. RESULTS: From T1 to T2, a trend-level improvement occurred in intra-individual variability in processing speed in the COVID, relative to the non-COVID group. However, longer response/task completion times persisted in participants with COVID-19-related hospitalisation relative to those without COVID-19-related hospitalisation and non-COVID controls. There was a significant reduction in long-COVID symptom load, which correlated with improved executive function in non-hospitalised COVID-19 participants. The COVID group continued to self-report poorer mental health, irrespective of hospitalisation history, relative to non-COVID group. CONCLUSIONS: Although some cognitive improvement has occurred over a 6-month period in young and middle-aged COVID-19 survivors, cognitive impairment persists in those with a history of COVID-19-related hospitalisation and/or long-COVID symptoms. Continuous follow-up assessments are required to determine whether cognitive function improves or possibly worsens, over time in hospitalised and long-COVID participants.

Camera-based visual feedback learning aid for recovering sense of smell and taste in COVID-19 survivors: a proof-of-concept study.

Introduction: A significant proportion of people report persistent COVID-19-related anosmia, hyposmia or parosmia, often accompanied with ageusia, hypogeusia or dysgeusia. Here, we present a proof-of-concept study that assessed the feasibility and acceptability of a new Camera-Based Visual Feedback Learning Aid (CVFLA) and explored its potential to restore or improve persistent COVID-19-related smell and/or taste impairment. Methods: Fifteen adult participants with persistent smell and/or taste impairment were randomly allocated to 7-, 14-, or 21-days baseline of symptom monitoring before receiving the intervention in up to 10 sessions (length and frequency determined by participant's preference and progress) using a specialised CVFLA apparatus (patent no. 10186160). Smell and taste were assessed pre- and post-intervention subjectively, and also objectively using the ODOFIN Taste Strips and Sniffin Sticks. Participant feedback about their experience of receiving CVFLA was obtained via a semi-structured interview conducted by someone not involved in delivering the intervention. Results: The intervention was extremely well received, with no dropouts related to the intervention. There was also a significant improvement in smell and taste from pre- to post-CVFLA intervention (mean number of sessions = 7.46, SD = 2.55; total duration = 389.96 min, SD = 150.93) both in subjective and objective measures. All participants, except one, reported experiencing some improvement from the 2nd or 3rd session. Discussion: This new CVFLA intervention shows promise in improving COVID-19 related impairment in smell and taste with a very high level of acceptability. Further studies with larger samples are required to confirm its potential in restoring, improving or correcting smell and/or taste impairment in relevant clinical and non-clinical groups.

COVID-19 and cognitive function: Evidence for increased processing speed variability in COVID-19 survivors and multifaceted impairment with long-COVID symptoms.

BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence for cognitive function to be negatively impacted by COVID-19. There is, however, limited research evaluating cognitive function pre- and post-COVID-19 using objective measures. METHODS: We examined processing speed, attention, working memory, executive function and memory in adults (≤69 years) with a history of COVID-19 (n = 129, none acutely unwell), compared to those with no known history of COVID-19 (n = 93). We also examined cognitive changes in a sub-group of COVID (n = 30) and non-COVID (n = 33) participants, compared to their pre-COVID-19 pandemic level. RESULTS: Cross-sectionally, the COVID group showed significantly larger intra-individual variability in processing speed, compared to the non-COVID group. The COVID sub-group also showed significantly larger intra-individual variability in processing speed, compared to their pre-COVID level; no significant change occurred in non-COVID participants over the same time scale. Other cognitive indices were not significantly impacted in the cross-sectional or within-subjects investigations, but participants (n = 20) who had needed hospitalisation due to COVID-19 showed poor attention and executive function relative to those who had not required hospitalisation (n = 109). Poor health and long-COVID symptoms correlated with poor cognitive function across domains in the COVID group. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate a limited cognitive impact of COVID-19 with only intra-individual variability in processing speed being significantly impacted in an adult UK sample. However, those who required hospitalisation due to COVID-19 severity and/or experience long-COVID symptoms display multifaceted cognitive impairment and may benefit from repeated cognitive assessments and remediation efforts.