COVID-19 May Cause Disruptions in Electrical Activities within Frontal Lobes of the Brain
A review of research hints that abnormalities in frontal lobe activity, as revealed by EEG tests, are prevalent among individuals battling neurological symptoms due to COVID-19.
Here are some key points to consider:
15-25% of patients with severe COVID-19 may experience neurological symptoms such as headaches, confusion, seizures, and strokes. To investigate the effects of COVID-19 on the brain, researchers examined EEG results from 617 patients in 84 different studies.
The most frequent findings included slowing of brain waves and abnormal electrical discharges. Notably, the severity of these EEG abnormalities seemed to correlate with the severity of the disease and the presence of preexisting neurological conditions, like epilepsy.
Approximately one-third of the abnormal findings were found in the frontal lobes of the brain. Dr. Zulfi Haneef, an assistant professor of neurology/neurophysiology, suggests that this might indicate a connection between the virus' entry point in the nose and the frontal lobe. He emphasizes the need for further EEG testing and other brain imaging techniques, such as MRI or CT scans, to examine the frontal lobe more thoroughly.
However, it's important to note that the virus may not be solely responsible for the damage observed in the EEG tests. Systemic effects of the infection, including inflammation, low oxygen levels, sticky blood, and cardiac arrest, might contribute to EEG abnormalities beyond the frontal lobes.
Some individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 report ongoing health issues known as long COVID. One such symptom is "brain fog." A recent study suggested that individuals who claim to have had COVID-19 performed less well on a cognitive test than those who did not believe they contracted the virus, ostensibly aging their cognition by about a decade.
The associations between EEG abnormalities and the neurological symptoms of COVID-19 infection add to the concerns about long-term effects on the brain. "A lot of people think they will get the illness, get well, and everything will return to normal," says Dr. Haneef, "but these findings suggest that there might be long-term issues, which is something we have suspected, and now we are finding more evidence to back that up."
On a positive note, 56.8% of those who underwent follow-up EEG tests showed improvements. However, it's important to note that the analysis had several limitations, such as inconsistencies in the raw data from individual studies, the possible omission of normal EEGs, and the potential skewing of results due to performing disproportionately more EEGs on patients with neurological symptoms.
In conclusion, while more research is needed, the current evidence suggests that COVID-19 could potentially lead to neurological symptoms and EEG abnormalities in brain regions such as the frontal lobes. Long COVID and its associated symptoms, like brain fog, remain a mystery, but it's clear that further investigation is necessary to fully understand the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on the brain.
[1] Frontal lobe dysfunction: Clinical features, evaluation, and treatment options. Neurology Reports. 2016.[2] SARS-CoV-2 and the nervous system: Human brain infection, neurologic manifestations, and the cytokine storm. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. 2020.
- The correlation between COVID-19 severity and the prevalence of neurological conditions, such as seizures and strokes, highlights the need for research focusing on the impact of the coronavirus on mental health and health-and-wellness, particularly neurological disorders like epilepsy and other neurological disorders.
- The abnormalities in frontal lobe activity, as observed in EEG tests, among COVID-19 patients could potentially signal a mental health concern, adding to the growing understanding of long-term effects of the virus on the brain.
- In addition to the direct damage observed in EEG tests, systemic results of COVID-19, such as inflammation, low oxygen levels, and cardiac arrest, may indirectly contribute to brain abnormalities and mental health issues, like mental-health conditions.
- Researchers investigating the effects of COVID-19 on the brain (via EEG, MRI or CT scans) are finding evidence suggesting that long COVID may lead to ongoing health issues, such as brain fog, and may have lasting impacts on cognitive function, a topic that warrants further study in the field of science.
