IBRO Neuroscience Reports最新文献

{"title":"Charting neuroethics discourse in Africa: A scoping review of ethical issues of neuroscience research in Africa","authors":"Oluyinka Oyeniji,&nbsp;Kutoma Wakunuma,&nbsp;Adebowale Owoseni","doi":"10.1016/j.ibneur.2025.06.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibneur.2025.06.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The global neuroethics discourse has gained prominence since the beginning of the 21st century. Perspectives on neuroethics have been drawn from USA, Asia, the European Union etc. In Africa, the discourse has been largely influenced by neurogenomics research and collaborations across countries in the region. As neuroethicists continue to propose considerations for framing neuroethics discourse in Africa, ethical issues arise from not only largescale neurogenomics research, but such other neuroscience and brain research projects conducted in heterogeneous societies on the continent. Such neuroscience research projects carried out in academic institutions and medical facilities are yet to be subjected to an investigation of ethical issues arising therefrom. This paper therefore took a departure from neuroethics discourse being shaped in neurogenomics and international collaborations to consider what ethical issues arise from neuroscience broadly across parts of Africa. We conducted a scoping review of neuroscience research and neuroethics publications, complemented by the snowballing method to investigate ethical issues arising from such research endeavors. The research was grounded in ubuntu principles as lens through which ethical, legal and social implications of African neuroscience research were viewed. Findings established ethical issues peculiar within the African neuroscience research context including inequitable access to neuroscience research, distrust, lack of research funding, imposition of foreign methods without standardisation within contexts, violence and use of restraints, threat to life and morbidity, etc as ethical issues of neuroscience in Africa.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13195,"journal":{"name":"IBRO Neuroscience Reports","volume":"19 ","pages":"Pages 174-191"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144470938","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Theobromine prevents affective symptoms of nicotine withdrawal by modulating the neuroendocrine and immune systems, as well as the glutathione mechanism in the hippocampus","authors":"Qi Zhang ,&nbsp;Yu Tian ,&nbsp;Baojiang He ,&nbsp;Wenjuan Zhang ,&nbsp;Xingyu Liu ,&nbsp;Jufang Hao","doi":"10.1016/j.ibneur.2025.06.011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibneur.2025.06.011","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Currently, nicotine withdrawal symptoms pose a significant challenge in tobacco cessation efforts, particularly withdrawal affective symptoms, such as anxiety and depression like behavior. However, the underlying mechanisms of these symptoms remain poorly understood. Emerging evidence implicates the hippocampus, a key region in the limbic system, involved in emotional regulation. In this study, we employed transcriptome sequencing, untargeted metabolomics, and integrative multi-omics analysis to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying nicotine withdrawal-induced affective symptoms in the hippocampus of male C57BL/6J mice. Our findings corroborate previous research linking nicotine withdrawal symptoms to dysregulation of neuroendocrine pathways and inflammatory processes within the brain. Importantly, we identify impaired glutathione metabolism as a significant contributing factor to the development of these symptoms. Furthermore, our investigation reveals that theobromine, a principal psychoactive compound found in cocoa, exerts a potent therapeutic effect in alleviating nicotine withdrawal affective symptoms through diverse mechanisms. In addition to its modulation of neuroendocrine pathways and inflammation, theobromine's ability to restore glutathione metabolism in the hippocampus emerges as a pivotal aspect of its pharmacological action.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13195,"journal":{"name":"IBRO Neuroscience Reports","volume":"19 ","pages":"Pages 160-173"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144365665","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Near-infrared time-resolved spectroscopy reveals task-induced emotions by measuring cerebral blood oxygenation changes in the frontal pole during creative activity using a real object","authors":"Yumi Oboshi ,&nbsp;Kazuki Tamura ,&nbsp;Yasuko Fukushi ,&nbsp;Seiji Yamamoto","doi":"10.1016/j.ibneur.2025.06.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibneur.2025.06.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Creative activities trigger enjoyable feelings, induce motivation, and are applied in clinical settings such as rehabilitation. Emotion and creativity are interrelated because they depend on a common neural network, with the prefrontal cortex playing a crucial role in both. Emotions affect creative thinking, and creative activities elicit emotions. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) provides a real-time assessment of emotion generated in a natural setting. Furthermore, near-infrared time-resolved spectroscopy (NIR-TRS) can measure brain activity that is less susceptible to extracerebral tissue. We measured oxyhemoglobin (Oxy-Hb) concentrations in the frontal pole, which is involved in emotion processing using NIR-TRS during creative and simple tasks utilizing real objects. Oxy-Hb concentrations in the frontal pole significantly increased during and after the creative task compared with the simple task. The autonomic function indices (heart rate and stress indices) were inversely correlated with the Oxy-Hb increase associated with the creative task performance, indicating that sympathetic nervous system hyperactivity did not cause this Oxy-Hb increase. A subjective survey revealed that positive emotions during the creative activity were significantly higher and correlated well with the increased Oxy-Hb level, indicating an increased frontal pole activity because of the enjoyability of the creative task. Our results indicate that NIR-TRS imaging can be employed for noninvasively measuring cerebral blood oxygenation changes in participants who experience various emotions during creative activities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13195,"journal":{"name":"IBRO Neuroscience Reports","volume":"19 ","pages":"Pages 148-159"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144365664","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Anti-apoptotic effects of the medicinal plant Sterculia setigera in a model of serum deprivation-induced PC12 cells death","authors":"Yendubé T. Kantati ,&nbsp;Magloire K. Kodjo ,&nbsp;Benjamin Lefranc ,&nbsp;Kwashie Eklu-Gadegbeku ,&nbsp;Jérôme Leprince ,&nbsp;David Vaudry","doi":"10.1016/j.ibneur.2025.06.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibneur.2025.06.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Sterculia setigera</em> is a medicinal plant of Togolese flora. We have previously reported that <em>S. setigera</em> leaves dry hydroethanolic extract (SSE) protects <em>in vitro</em> cerebellar granule neurons against H₂O₂ and 6-OHDA-induced cell death and <em>in vivo</em> against ethanol neurotoxicity on the cerebellar cortex of 8-day-old Wistar rats. The present study aimed to extend our knowledge of the protective effects of SSE by exploring its anti-apoptotic mechanisms on cultured PC12 cells. Apoptosis was induced by serum depletion before treatment with various concentrations (5–100 µg/mL) of SSE. SSE (20 µg/mL) significantly protected PC12 cells (+51.8 %) against serum depletion-induced PC12 cell death and inhibited Caspase-3/7 (-65.1 %) activity. SSE also significantly increased the expression of the anti-apoptotic factor <em>Bcl-2</em>. Conversely, it repressed the expression of <em>Casp-3</em>, <em>Tp53</em> and <em>Ddit3</em>. Taken together, these results indicate that inhibition of apoptosis appears to be one of the main mechanisms of <em>S. setigera</em> neuroprotective effects.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13195,"journal":{"name":"IBRO Neuroscience Reports","volume":"19 ","pages":"Pages 110-116"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144306839","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Alternative splicing and the aging brain in AfrAbia: New frontiers in dementia research","authors":"Suliyat Abiodun Aremu","doi":"10.1016/j.ibneur.2025.06.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibneur.2025.06.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>AfrAbia (Sub-Saharan Africa and Arab world), is undergoing a significant demographic shift characterized by increased longevity and rising dementia rates. Despite this, molecular insights into brain aging in these regions, especially in RNA processing pathways like alternative splicing (AS), are virtually absent. AS promotes transcriptomic and proteomic complexity and is pivotal for brain function, with its dysregulation connected to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, current knowledge is overwhelmingly derived from Western populations, limiting global applicability. This perspective synthesizes the mechanisms and regulatory elements of AS, its role in aging and neurodegeneration, and emerging biomarkers and therapeutic strategies. Special attention is paid to ancestry-associated splicing variants and fluid biomarker development in AfrAbian cohorts. We argue for inclusive, population-specific molecular studies to bridge disparities in dementia diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13195,"journal":{"name":"IBRO Neuroscience Reports","volume":"19 ","pages":"Pages 101-109"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144306671","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Association between educational attainment and amyloid deposition across the spectrum from normal cognition to dementia: A meta-analysis","authors":"Fatemeh Sedghi ,&nbsp;Elaheh Foroughi ,&nbsp;Farzad Sheikhzadeh ,&nbsp;Mahya Ahmadpour Youshanlui ,&nbsp;Ata Akhtari Kohnehshahri ,&nbsp;Omid Karimzadeh ,&nbsp;Sayedeh-Fatemeh Sadat-Madani ,&nbsp;Hani Ghadri ,&nbsp;Peyman Parhiz ,&nbsp;Amirhesam Amirbeyk ,&nbsp;Shaghayegh Afshari ,&nbsp;Yegane Ebrahimnia ,&nbsp;Mahsa Soleimanzadeh ,&nbsp;Mahsa Asadi Anar ,&nbsp;Parviz Aghaei Borzabad ,&nbsp;Niloofar Deravi","doi":"10.1016/j.ibneur.2025.05.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibneur.2025.05.010","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background &amp; Aim</h3><div>Educational attainment has been proposed as a critical factor influencing cognitive resilience in the face of neurodegenerative diseases. However, its relationship with amyloid deposition across different stages of cognitive decline remains unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the correlation between educational background and amyloid accumulation in individuals ranging from cognitively normal to those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A comprehensive literature search was conducted in January 2025 across PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar to identify observational studies examining the association between educational attainment and amyloid deposition. Studies were included if they reported relevant data on this relationship; reviews, interventional studies, and those with insufficient outcome reporting were excluded. Data were analyzed using RStudio (version 4.3.1), employing random-effects or fixed-effects models based on the degree of heterogeneity. Effect sizes were expressed as Pearson’s correlation coefficients (r).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Out of 6988 initially identified records, four cohort studies met the inclusion criteria, comprising a total of 288 participants from Canada and Japan. Meta-analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between educational attainment and amyloid deposition among individuals with MCI (r = 0.34, 95 % CI [0.05, 0.63]), although substantial heterogeneity was observed (I² = 86 %, p &lt; 0.01). In contrast, an inverse association was found in patients with AD (r = -0.16, 95 % CI [-0.28, −0.03]), with minimal heterogeneity (I² = 0.0 %, p = 0.8101). Funnel plot analyses indicated no significant evidence of publication bias.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>These findings suggest a stage-dependent relationship between educational attainment and amyloid accumulation: higher education is associated with greater amyloid deposition in individuals with MCI, but with reduced amyloid burden in those with AD. This pattern supports the cognitive reserve hypothesis, which posits that education may bolster compensatory neural mechanisms, delaying the clinical onset of dementia symptoms. However, the presence of substantial heterogeneity and the limited sample size call for further longitudinal research to elucidate underlying causal pathways and inform targeted strategies for dementia prevention.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13195,"journal":{"name":"IBRO Neuroscience Reports","volume":"19 ","pages":"Pages 133-142"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144365667","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of the combination of melatonin and N-acetylcysteine on the inflammatory response in a rat model of cerebral ischemia","authors":"Pouria Soleimani ,&nbsp;Saied Nekoonam ,&nbsp;Fariba Zafari ,&nbsp;Fatemeh Sabbaghziarani","doi":"10.1016/j.ibneur.2025.06.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibneur.2025.06.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Stroke is the second leading cause of death and long-term damage globally. Inflammation is a significant factor in the onset of ischemic stroke. This study investigated the simultaneous administration of melatonin and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on inflammation in rat cerebral ischemia. First, 30 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups (n = 6), including the sham group without ischemia, the ischemic group, and the ischemic groups treated with NAC, melatonin, and NAC + melatonin, respectively. To induce ischemia, a silicone-coated monofilament was placed from the common carotid artery towards the middle cerebral artery and stained for 60 min. The rats were treated by administering NAC (50 mg/kg), melatonin (5 mg/kg) and the combination of NAC + melatonin by intraperitoneal injection after ischemia induction. The animals were assessed for sensory-motor activity at 24 and 72 h. Following sacrifice, the rats' brain was dissected to estimate infarct volume after triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. Inflammatory parameters were then analyzed through gene expression analysis using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) for nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and nucleotide oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor family with pyrin domain 1 and 3 (NLRP1 and NLRP3). The results showed a significant decrease in mRNA expression of the target genes in the rats treated with NAC + melatonin compared to the ischemic group (p &lt; 0.05). The group that received the combined treatment exhibited enhanced sensory-motor function and a reduced brain infarct volume compared to the other groups (p &lt; 0.05). In summary, the combined use of NAC and melatonin has shown promise in enhancing neurobehavioral function and decreasing the volume of cerebral infarction by regulating the inflammatory signaling pathway.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13195,"journal":{"name":"IBRO Neuroscience Reports","volume":"19 ","pages":"Pages 83-90"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144298737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of L-theanine on cerebellar granule cell migration related to cognitive disorders","authors":"Mai Ibrahim ,&nbsp;Matsuda Tomoko ,&nbsp;Kuriya Kenji ,&nbsp;Ozeki Makoto ,&nbsp;Abe Aya ,&nbsp;Hayato Umekawa ,&nbsp;Masahiro Nishio","doi":"10.1016/j.ibneur.2025.05.015","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibneur.2025.05.015","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Cerebellar granule cell migration plays a crucial role in cerebellum development, and any abnormalities in CGC migration can lead to significant neurological disorders such as anxiety, a common psychological disorder that impacts a person's emotional, physical, and social health. <em>L</em>-theanine, an amino acid found in green tea, demonstrates neuroprotective properties and regulates the release of neurotransmitters by stimulating CGC migration. This study investigated the impact of <em>L</em>-theanine on CGC migration related to cognitive disorders.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div><em>ddY</em> male mice treated with a single oral dose of <em>L</em>-theanine at varying concentrations (10 mg/kg) were assessed for anxiety, learning, and memory using the maze test and the Morris Water Maze test, where the average completion time and escape time of the mice were considered indicators of cognitive performance. CGC microexplants were isolated from newly born <em>C57BL/N6</em> mice and treated with a series of increasing concentrations of <em>L</em>-theanine. The migration distance of the CGC under the different <em>L</em>-theanine concentrations was assessed after 24, 48, and 72 h post-treatment using phase-contrast microscopy and image analysis software.</div></div><div><h3>Results and conclusion</h3><div>Mice's anxiety symptoms improved based on their performance on the maze test after treatment with <em>L</em>-theanine at 5 mg/ml. However, <em>L</em>-theanine at 0.05 mg/ml enhanced learning and memory abilities. Compared to other concentrations, <em>L</em>-theanine at 1 µM yielded the longest migration distance for CGC <em>in vitro</em>. Therefore, <em>L</em>-Theanine may serve as a potential therapeutic agent in supporting cerebellar development and enhancing cognitive skills. Further investigation is required to fully elucidate the molecular mechanisms and therapeutic potential of <em>L</em>-theanine in neurodevelopmental disorders.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13195,"journal":{"name":"IBRO Neuroscience Reports","volume":"19 ","pages":"Pages 63-71"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144240997","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Microglia: Mediators of experience-driven corrective neuroplasticity","authors":"Lara Rogerson-Wood,&nbsp;Atomu Sawatari,&nbsp;Catherine A. Leamey","doi":"10.1016/j.ibneur.2025.05.013","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibneur.2025.05.013","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Neural connectivity is essential for brain function: this is initially established via early axon guidance mechanisms and subsequently refined by synaptic pruning. Alterations in the patterns of neural connectivity, arising due to changes in either of these processes, are found in neurodevelopmental conditions. Microglia, the brain’s resident immune cell, are recognised mediators of synaptic pruning. Unlike axon guidance, synaptic pruning occurs over protracted periods of postnatal life and can be profoundly impacted by experience. Little is known about whether targeted microglial synaptic pruning could be recruited to compensate for alterations in neural connectivity arising due to deleterious changes in other neurodevelopmental processes, such as axon guidance. Here we review our recent work which has addressed this by examining the effect of Environmental Enrichment (EE) on the miswired visual circuitry of mice lacking the axon guidance molecule Ten-m3. Notably, exposure to EE commenced around birth (but not from weaning or later) triggered selective removal of miswired retinal inputs in the visual thalamus of these Ten-m3 knockout mice. Most importantly, our work identifies selective microglial engulfment of neural connections during a defined postnatal window, as a likely mediator of this effect of early EE. The findings reviewed here emphasise the importance of early life experience in shaping neural circuitry, particularly when early development has been compromised by genetic factors. They also provide a potential mechanistic underpinning for the results of recent clinical trials investigating the effectiveness of early, experience-based interventions for human neurodevelopmental conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13195,"journal":{"name":"IBRO Neuroscience Reports","volume":"19 ","pages":"Pages 91-100"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144298738","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cognitive functioning in young adults after mild COVID-19: A case-control study from Iran","authors":"Farzad Akbarzadeh ,&nbsp;Farhad Faridhosseini ,&nbsp;Mahboubeh eslamzadeh ,&nbsp;Mojtaba ghalandarzadeh ,&nbsp;Saeedeh Hajebikhaniki ,&nbsp;Alireza Ebrahimi","doi":"10.1016/j.ibneur.2025.06.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibneur.2025.06.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Since December 2019, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has caused widespread infection across global populations, characterized by its high transmissibility. Despite extensive research on the acute effects of COVID-19, the long-term psychological and neurological sequela remain inadequately explored. This study aimed to investigate cognitive function after COVID-19 infection compared to a control group of non-infected subjects.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This case-control study included 40 individuals who had recovered from COVID-19, referred to Imam Reza Referral and Educational Hospital in Mashhad, Iran, and 40 matched controls who had not experienced COVID-19 symptoms. All participants underwent an initial screening by a psychiatric assistant to exclude significant medical and psychiatric conditions and any history of drug use. A demographic checklist was administered, followed by cognitive assessments using the Stroop Test, Digit Span Test, and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Data were analysed using SPSS Version 20.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>No significant differences were observed between the two groups regarding age, sex, education level, marital status, or employment status (p &gt; 0.05). However, COVID-19-infected individuals exhibited significantly longer completion times for the congruent Stroop test and increased reaction times compared to healthy controls (p &lt; 0.05). Additionally, the duration for completing the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test was significantly longer in the infected group compared to the non-infected group (p &lt; 0.001). Although the longest digit span and scores on the Digit Span Test were lower in the infected group, these differences did not reach statistical significance (p &gt; 0.05). Furthermore, reaction times in the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) for the first, second, and third sets of 50 stimuli were significantly greater in the COVID-19 group (p &lt; 0.001).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>This study underscores that cognitive performance post-COVID-19 is adversely affected, particularly in terms of processing speed and sustained attention, when compared to healthy individuals. Further research is warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and to explore potential interventions for cognitive rehabilitation in this population.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13195,"journal":{"name":"IBRO Neuroscience Reports","volume":"19 ","pages":"Pages 117-123"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144306811","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}