Evaluación neuropsicológica brasileña de los efectos directos e indirectos del COVID-19: Una revisión integradora

During the pandemic, neuropsychological assessment became crucial for identifying central nervous system alterations and intervention targets. This study aimed to characterize the role of neuropsychological assessment in Brazil during the pandemic, through a non-systematic integrative scientific review of productions since 2020, comparing COVID-19’s direct and indirect effects across age groups. Among children and adolescents, indirect effects, such as lower academic achievement and executive functioning, were more pronounced in younger children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. In adults and older adults, direct effects included neuroinflammation, reduced cerebral blood flow, autonomic neuropathy, and small-fibre neuropathy, while indirect effects showed cognitive deficits, especially in memory. Overall, neuropsychological assessment proved necessary for detecting COVID-19’s cognitive, academic and psychosocial impacts across age groups, as well as to guide interventions. This review of Brazilian studies showed that conducting neuropsychological assessments allowed the identification of COVID-19’s impacts and showed the need for neuropsychology to spread to the whole country.