Brain's frontal lobes disrupted by COVID-19 electrical activity alterations
Revising the Research on Neurological Effects of COVID-19
Research has revealed that a significant number of patients with severe cases of COVID-19 may exhibit neurological symptoms, and these symptoms could potentially be connected to changes in the brain identified through EEG tests.
According to experts, around 15-25% of people with severe COVID-19 may experience symptoms such as headaches, confusion, seizures, and strokes. When these patients present with neurological issues, medical professionals may recommend an EEG test, which involves placing electrodes on the scalp to monitor the brain's electrical activity.
To examine the connection between COVID-19 and the brain, a team of researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, and the University of Pittsburgh, PA, analyzed EEG results from 617 patients, gathered from 84 different studies. The study, published in the Seizure: European Journal of Epilepsy, found that approximately one-third of the abnormal findings were in the frontal lobes of the brain.
Dr. Zulfi Haneef, a co-author of the study and assistant professor of neurology and neurophysiology at Baylor, explains the potential link between COVID-19 and the frontal lobes:
"Given that the most likely entry point for the virus is the nose, it seems there's a connection between the part of the brain located directly next to that entry point."
While the virus may not be solely responsible for all the damage observed in EEG results, systemic effects of the infection, such as inflammation, low oxygen levels, unusually "sticky" blood, and cardiac arrest, could play a role in EEG abnormalities that extend beyond the frontal lobes.
The study identified "diffuse slowing" in the background electrical activity of the whole brain in approximately 70% of patients.
Brain Fog and Long-term EffectsSome individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 reported ongoing health problems, now collectively referred to as long COVID. Among these issues is "brain fog."
Recent research, yet to undergo peer review, suggests that individuals who claim to have had COVID-19 may perform less well on cognitive tests than those who did not contract the virus. While this study does not definitively prove that the infection causes long-term cognitive decline, it does highlight concerns about possible lasting effects on the brain.
Given the EEG abnormalities associated with COVID-19's neurological symptoms, these findings support such concerns. Dr. Haneef explains:
"Many people believe that they will get the illness, recover, and return to normal. However, these findings suggest that there might be long-term issues, which echo our suspicions and provide more evidence to support them."
On a positive note, the study reports that nearly 57% of patients showed improvements during follow-up EEG tests.
[1] COVID-19 Neurological Manifestations: A Comprehensive Review[3] The Neurological Manifestations Associated with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)[5] Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and EEG: Techniques, Applications, and Tools
- The research on neurological effects of COVID-19 indicates that approximately 15-25% of patients with severe cases of COVID-19 may experience epilepsy seizures, headaches, confusion, strokes, or other neurological disorders.
- A study published in the Seizure: European Journal of Epilpsy found that one-third of the abnormal EEG findings were in the frontal lobes of the brain, potentially pointing to a connection between COVID-19 and these regions due to the virus's entry point being the nose.
- The study also identified "diffuse slowing" in the background electrical activity of the whole brain in approximately 70% of patients, which, along with the reported ongoing health problems like brain fog in some individuals who have recovered from COVID-19, highlights concerns about possible long-term cognitive and neurological effects of the coronavirus.
