This article aims to provide a preliminary approach to screening cognitive symptoms after COVID-19. We anticipate that physicians will have patients who present with brain fog, a not uncommon symptom in this population. Although this research is being done, it is occurring primarily in tertiary medical centers and teaching hospitals, and much of the information has not yet entered clinical practice. A timeline for when maximal medical improvement can be expected remains to be determined. For individuals who are experiencing persistent symptoms after infection, we must define current best practices, recognizing that our understanding is evolving. This review addresses reported symptoms weeks or months after infection, how and when neurologists and other physicians might be able to assess these, and whether cognitive screening will inform ability to return to work and treatment recommendations. Many who have cognitive complaints have normal neurologic and physical examinations, lab results, and neuroimaging. 1 Although cognitive symptoms can occur secondary to systemic disease, and a small number of individuals have had meningoencephalitis and vascular events (eg, stroke) during COVID-19, some do not present with any known objective evidence of neurologic insult.

Approximately a third of people with COVID-19 report neurologic symptoms. There is an emerging body of literature indicating that a subset of people who experienced SARS-CoV-2 infection have neurocognitive symptoms for weeks or even months afterwards.

Moca testing