Isolamento social, estresse e memória: os impactos da pandemia de covid-19 no cérebro adulto

Abstract

Social isolation was used as a safety measure to reduce contamination by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, also known as Covid-19. The act of isolating oneself from social life and all the uncertainties of the pandemic led to a phenomenon called “pandemic brain”, which consists of cognitive deficits such as difficulties in processing information, concentrating and using work memory. Short-term memories, also known as working memory, last for minutes or hours (e.g. what we did in the last hour) and their functioning depends on a number of factors, both for the execution itself and for the consolidation of short-term to long-term memory. The aim of this study is to relate the effects of stress, resulting from social isolation and the pandemic context, to the memory of adults. A field study will be carried out, using interviews and a questionnaire and the participation of 20 adults of both sexes (between 20 and 40 years old), who during the pandemic have complied with the protective measure of isolating themselves from social life. Data analysis will be carried out by systematizing the participants' responses and categorizing them in tables and charts. In the sample analyzed in this research, it was possible to observe a correlation between individuals reporting a high level of stress and poor working memory functioning during and after the scenario of social isolation and pandemic.