![]() 2007), verbal memory and visuospatial ability (Byrnes et al. ![]() In the interferon era, several studies after HCV eradication showed improvement not only in quality of life or mood, but also in reaction time (Thein et al. HCV infection can also imply fatigue and depression, and an overall reduced quality of life, which however have no clear relation to cognitive changes (Yeoh et al. Its features are indeed different from minimal HE (Monaco et al. This picture, also termed HCV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HCV-AND) affects for instance attention, executive functions, learning/visuospatial abilities, and verbal recall. ![]() However, hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients not even meeting the definition(s) of minimal HE (Weissenborn 2015) can show a subtle cognitive impairment. Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and its mildest expression (minimal HE) are a neuropsychiatric syndrome related to liver failure, with a wide range of severity (Wijdicks 2016). DAAs can have a role in the early preservation of cognition in HCVs. The P300 wave was a valid neurophysiologic counterpart of these changes. These defects partly recovered following the SVR-12, as achieved through DAAs. HCV patients exhibited subtle cognitive defects, somehow independent of their liver condition, possibly linked to direct or indirect brain involvement by the virus. Accordingly, the P300 latency shortened significantly ( p < 0.05). At T1, we observed some significant ( p < 0.05) HCV recovery in given test domains, e.g., memory, executive functions, and reasoning. The P300 latency was significantly ( p < 0.05) delayed in the group. At T0, we detected a significant ( p < 0.05) cognitive impairment in the HCV group, which involved episodic and working memory, attention, visuospatial and verbal abilities, executive functions, and logic reasoning. We had 2 control groups of comparable age and sex, i.e., 15 patients suffering from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and 15 healthy subjects. There was a baseline evaluation (T0) and a second one 6 months later (T1). We studied 23 selected HCV patients with a battery of standard neuropsychological tests, and with recordings of the P300 wave, a cerebral potential of “cognitive” significance. We then disentangled potential cognitive changes associated with a sustained virologic response at 12 weeks (SVR-12), following treatment with direct antiviral agents (DAAs). Cognition was assessed in hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients, who did not meet the criteria for a minimal hepatic encephalopathy.
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