Evaluation of long COVID cognitive dysfunction in cohorts of Canadian and Brazilian young adults based on genetic and immunological approaches

Esteban Parra, University of Toronto Mississauga; Shaza Fadel, Dalla Lana School of Public Health; France Gagnon, Dalla Lana School of Public Health; Frank Wendt, University of Toronto Mississauga

Post-COVID Condition (PCC), or Long COVID, has a wide-ranging impact, and the ultimate causes of this syndrome remain to be elucidated. We propose pilot studies, aligned to the IFP’s “Pandemic recovery” theme, to explore broader health and societal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic by investigating long-term COVID cognitive dysfunction in young individuals from Canada and Brazil (ages 18 to 40). Using well-characterized cohorts from two different countries, this project will set the basis for future studies focused on identifying factors associated with long-term cognitive dysfunction using a multi-omics approach. For this catalyst grant, our primary objectives are:

1. To  describe willingness to participate and demographic characteristics of populations from two, Canadian and Brazilian, cohorts.

2. To pilot and align ascertainment tools, including psychometric and immunological analyses that will best characterize young adults with cognitive dysfunction as part of a post-COVID-19 condition.

Results from this project will serve as preliminary data for future studies that will apply a broad range of analytical approaches, including genomics, metabolomics, and characterization of immunological markers to better measure morbidity after SARS-CoV2- infection for young adults. This project has the potential to offer new insights into factors playing a role in the development of long COVID cognitive dysfunction as well as identifying potential predictive tools in two diverse community settings.