Brain's Frontal Lobes Electrical Activity May Be Affected by COVID-19
Negurological symptoms have been observed in a significant percentage of patients severely affected by COVID-19, and recent research indicates that these individuals often present with abnormalities detected by electroencephalography (EEG) tests.
According to data, approximately 15-25% of patients with severe COVID-19 experience neurological symptoms such as headaches, confusion, seizures, and strokes. EEG tests are often administered to patients exhibiting these symptoms, and the tests involve placing electrodes on the scalp to monitor the brain's electrical activity.
To better understand the impact of COVID-19 on the brain, researchers analyzed EEG results from 617 patients reported in 84 different studies. The most prevalent findings were generalized slowing of brain waves and abnormal electrical discharges.
Remarkably, the extent of EEG abnormalities was found to correlate with the severity of the disease and the presence of pre-existing neurological conditions. For instance, patients with epilepsy often displayed more pronounced EEG abnormalities.
More than a third of the identified abnormalities were in the frontal lobes of the brain. Dr. Zulfi Haneef, assistant professor of neurology and neurophysiology at Baylor College of Medicine, suggests that this finding may be linked to the virus's most likely entry point, the nose. He emphasizes the need for wider implementation of EEG tests and other brain imaging techniques like MRI or CT scans to obtain a closer look at the frontal lobe.
However, it is essential to note that the virus may not be responsible for all the observed damage. Systemic effects of the infection, such as inflammation, low oxygen levels, blood abnormalities, and cardiac arrest, could play a role in extending EEG abnormalities beyond the frontal lobes.
Researchers also found "diffuse slowing" in the background electrical activity of the whole brain in nearly 70% of patients. This could indicate long-term neurocognitive issues, a concern that has arisen in connection with the ongoing health problems reported by some individuals who have recovered from COVID-19.
Although unconfirmed by peer-review, a recent study suggested that individuals who claim to have had COVID-19 performed less well on an online cognitive test than those who did not believe they had the virus. This study raised concerns about lasting effects on the brain, concerns that are further supported by the observed EEG abnormalities associated with COVID-19 neurological symptoms.
On a positive note, nearly 57% of patients who underwent follow-up EEG tests showed improvements. The researchers acknowledge several limitations in their analysis, such as lack of access to raw data from individual studies, the omission of many normal EEGs, and the potential skewing of results due to the focus on patients with neurological symptoms. Additionally, doctors may have administered anti-seizure medications to patients, potentially obscuring signs of seizures in their EEG traces.
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- The coronavirus has been linked to neurological symptoms such as seizures, headaches, and strokes in severely affected patients, with approximately 15-25% of such patients reporting these symptoms.
- EEG tests, which are used to monitor brain activity by placing electrodes on the scalp, have revealed abnormalities in a significant number of COVID-19 patients, with these abnormalities often correlating with the severity of the disease and the presence of pre-existing neurological conditions like epilepsy.
- Research on COVID-19 patients has shown that more than a third of the identified EEG abnormalities were in the frontal lobes of the brain, leading some experts to hypothesize that this could be linked to the virus's entry point, the nose.
- While the coronavirus may not be responsible for all the observed damage, other systemic effects of the infection, like inflammation, low oxygen levels, blood abnormalities, and cardiac arrest, could potentially extend EEG abnormalities beyond the frontal lobes, raising concerns about long-term neurocognitive issues in some individuals who have recovered from COVID-19.
