The Study of Long COVID and Its Impact on Cognition and Language

Jacqueline Helcer Becker, PhD is a Clinical Neuropsychologist at Mount Sinai Health System and a Professor of Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine. Her research focuses on the bidirectional impact of cognitive impairment in chronic diseases. Since 2020, Jacqueline has studied the cognitive effects of COVID. She is also Chair of the International Neuropsychological Society's NeuroCOVID long-term outcomes task force committee.

In this episode…

Four years have passed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and researchers are beginning to discover the long-term effects of the virus. With symptoms ranging from fatigue and brain fog to non-specific myalgias and cardiovascular dysfunction, clinicians have developed clinical trials for treatments. How are neuropsychologists helping people recover from long COVID?

To be diagnosed with long COVID, patients must have noticeable cognitive and executive dysfunction, which can either be confirmed through a test or the individuals' account of symptoms. As a devoted researcher into the cognitive impacts of COVID, Jacqueline Helcer Becker, PhD spearheads a neurological clinical trial focused on cognitive dysfunction. Aiming to provide holistic diagnostics and care, neuropsychologists work with speech pathologists to evaluate cognitive and executive functions through a series of tests involving memory, verbal learning, emotional regulation, and goal-management. Treatment involves working diligently with the individual to practice declining skills, leading to functional improvements and renewed performance.

In this episode of EspecIallY "SpeciAl" SpeeCh?!, Jennifer Branchini and Ama Teasdel talk with Jacqueline Helcer Becker, PhD, a Clinical Neuropsychologist at Mount Sinai Health System and a Professor of Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine. Together, they discuss clinical trials studying long COVID. Jacqueline also shares examples of culturally offensive cognitive test questions, how neuropsychologists provide cognitive rehabilitation services, and her approach to evaluating executive functions.