About the COVIDCOG project

The COVID-19 infection, even in its mild or moderate respiratory forms, can lead to neuropsychological deficits. The COVID-COG project was implemented during the first wave of the COVID pandemic, in response to the questioning at the time concerning the impact that an infection could have on neuropsychological abilities. The project aims at identifying neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric deficits in post-COVID-19 patients and determining if those deficits are associated with the severity of respiratory symptoms in the acute phase and/or with the personal experience of the infection as well as the pandemic context. The project features an exhaustive neuropsychological evaluation, as well as MRI, olfactory and neurological assessments, administered 6-9 months and 12-15 months post infection. For this project, we collaborated with eight departments of the University Hospitals of Geneva, the Leenaards Memory Centre at the Lausanne University Hospital and the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. Finally, the project was funded by the Swiss National Foundation (NRP 78 2020 to 2022 – Grant N°: 4078P0_198438).

Collaborators

Frédéric Assal (Co-PI)
Neurology Department, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland
Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland

Dan Adler
Division of Pulmonary Diseases, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland

Gilles Allali
Leenaards Memory Center, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

Lamyae Benzakour
Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Psychiatry Department, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland

Olivia Braillard
Division and Department of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland

Gautier Breville
Neurology Department, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland
Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland

Matteo Coen
Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Internal Medicine Department, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland

Alessandra Griffa
Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Institute of Bioengineering, Center for Neuroprosthetics, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland

Idris Guessous
Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Division and Department of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland

Patrice H. Lalive
Neurology Department, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland
Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland

Basile N. Landis
Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Rhinology-Olfactology Unit, Otorhinolaryngology Department, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland

Karl-Olof Lövblad
Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology Department, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland

Mayssam Nehme
Division and Department of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland

Radek Ptak
Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Neurorehabilitation Department, Geneva University Hospitals, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland

Jérôme Pugin
Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Intensive Care Department, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland

Jean-Luc Reny
Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals and Geneva University, Switzerland

Jacques Serratrice
Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Internal Medicine Department, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland

Dimitri Van De Ville
Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Institute of Bioengineering, Center for Neuroprosthetics, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland

Funding

Swiss National Science Foundation, UNIGE
"Short and long-term neuropsychological impairment following COVID-19"
NRP 78 "Covid-19" – 2020 - 2023
Grant N°: 4078P0_198438