Scholar Spotlight: Dr. Perry Tsai, Cognitive Dysfunction & Long COVID
Collaborative Endeavors Podcast: Season 4, Episode 4
Episode Summary Heading link
Perry Tsai, an assistant professor in the department of psychiatrist at the University of Illinois Chicago, has dedicated his work to understanding the mental and physical effects of Long COVID, specifically the cognitive challenges that often accompany it.
Although his doctoral training was in infectious disease research, Tsai ultimately chose to pursue a career in psychiatry. Working as a clinical psychiatrist, he saw a unique opportunity to explore the mental health challenges tied to Long COVID, specifically cognitive dysfunction. Commonly referred to as “brain fog,” this condition can present as memory issues, confusion, and mental fatigue, all of which affect patients’ ability to function day-to-day and, at times, profoundly impact their mental well-being.
Recognizing the limitations of traditional cognitive testing, which often fails to capture the cognitive deficits that Long COVID patients report, Tsai aims to explore new methods for tracking cognitive function. Under the CCTS’s KL2 grant, he’s leveraging digital biomarkers through mobile technology to gather real-time data on cognitive performance.
Tsai’s current project is part of a larger push to understand the intersection of mental health and inflammation. By investigating Long COVID, he hopes to uncover broader links between infection-related inflammation and mental health issues. This novel research approach not only holds promise for treating Long COVID patients but may also extend to other inflammatory diseases that impact cognitive function.