What was the study's goal for post-COVID fatigue and cognition?

To design and evaluate a combined treatment to reduce fatigue and improve cognition in post-COVID syndrome by comparing neuromodulation targets combined with cognitive training.

Which treatments were compared in the trial?

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) targeting either the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex or the primary motor cortex, each combined with cognitive training delivered via NeuronUP.

What were the study's main findings?

tDCS combined with NeuronUP cognitive training was viable, safe, and effective at reducing fatigue and improving cognition; stimulation of the primary motor cortex showed slightly greater fatigue reduction and improved sleep.

How was the randomized trial conducted?

A randomized comparative clinical trial with 63 participants split into two groups, each receiving 15 sessions of 20 minutes (one session per day) of combined neuromodulation and NeuronUP training.

What cognitive domains did NeuronUP train?

NeuronUP was used to train attention, working memory, and processing speed during the neuromodulation sessions.

Who conducted and published the research?

The Neurological Diseases research group at Hospital Clínico San Carlos, with Drs. María Díez-Cicarda and Jordi Matías-Guiu, published the study in Nature Scientific Reports.

Neuromodulation and cognitive training for post-COVID fatigue

Doctors María Díez-Cicarda and Jordi Matías-Guiu present “A randomized comparative feasibility study of neuromodulation and cognitive training for post-COVID fatigue”, in which our neurorehabilitation platform, NeuronUP, was used.

Relevance of the study

This study aims at the design of a treatment that improves both the fatigue and cognition in post-COVID syndrome. To this end, the efficacy of combined neuromodulation treatment (comparing two different therapeutic targets) using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), combined with cognitive intervention, is compared for improving fatigue and cognition in post-COVID syndrome.

Findings indicate that tDCS stimulation combined with cognitive training with NeuronUP is a viable, safe, and effective approach to reduce fatigue and improve cognition in patients with post-COVID syndrome. Although both stimulation targets were beneficial, stimulation directed to the primary motor cortex appeared to be slightly more effective at reducing fatigue and improving sleep quality.

Methodology used

The study methodology included a randomized comparative clinical trial with 63 participants, randomized into:

Group 1: neuromodulation in the dorsolateral prefrontal area + cognitive stimulation with NeuronUP.
Group 2: neuromodulation in the primary motor area + cognitive stimulation with NeuronUP.

Both groups received the treatment with the same duration and frequency: 15 sessions, 1 session/day, 20 minutes/session.

Contribution of NeuronUP

NeuronUP was the platform used to carry out the cognitive intervention while participants received the neuromodulation treatment. Specifically, the cognitive domains of attention, working memory, and processing speed were trained.

About the research team

The Neurological Diseases research group at Hospital Clinico San Carlos (in Madrid) focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of various neurological and neurodegenerative diseases.

Dr. Jordi Matías-Guiu and Dr. María Diez-Cirarda work in the field of cognitive neurology, neuroimaging, and neuromodulation, focused on studying the improvement of cognitive and clinical diagnosis, and the investigation of the brain bases of different cognitive impairments. Additionally, the neuromodulation line seeks to improve or alleviate these cognitive and clinical symptoms through the design of effective treatments and the combination of treatments.