Brain's frontal lobes can experience electrical disruptions due to COVID-19.
The study unveils that one-third of brain abnormalities identified by electroencephalography (EEG) tests in COVID-19 patients are in the frontal lobes. Dr. Zulfi Haneef, an assistant professor of neurology/neurophysiology at Baylor, suggests that this correlation may stem from COVID-19's entry point - the nose - being adjacent to these brain regions.
The review analyzed EEG results from 617 patients, with the most common findings being slowing of brain waves and abnormal electrical discharges. Interestingly, the severity of EEG abnormalities positively correlated with the disease's severity and the presence of preexisting neurological conditions, such as epilepsy.
However, it's important to note that the virus might not be solely responsible for all the damage observed. Systemic effects like inflammation, low oxygen levels, thickened blood, and cardiac arrest could also contribute to EEG abnormalities that extend beyond the frontal lobes.
The study revealed "diffuse slowing" in the background electrical activity of the whole brain in nearly 70% of patients.
Among people who have recovered from COVID-19, lingering health issues known as "long COVID" have been reported, including "brain fog." A recent study, although not yet peer-reviewed, found that individuals who claimed to have had COVID-19 performed poorly on a cognitive test compared to those who hadn't been infected. The study's authors suggest that the infection may age people cognitively by about a decade.
Dr. Haneef notes that the existence of EEG abnormalities associated with COVID-19's neurological symptoms adds to concerns about potential long-term issues. However, he also reports that about half of the patients with follow-up EEG tests showed improvements.
Limits of the study include the lack of access to raw data from individual studies, possible underreporting of normal EEGs, and the administration of anti-seizure medications to patients suspected of having seizures, which may have obscured signs of seizures in their EEG traces.
In the broader context, COVID-19 has been associated with neurological and cognitive impacts like anxiety, depression, and executive functioning deficits, potentially involving changes in brain activity detectable by EEG. Yet, specific studies focusing on the relationship between COVID-19 severity and frontal lobe EEG abnormalities are not prevalent in current research. As we continue to delve into the complexities of this pandemic, further studies are needed to understand the intricate connections between COVID-19, the brain, and neurological symptoms.
The study on COVID-19 patients uncovered that one-third of brain abnormalities detected by electroencephalography (EEG) tests were in the frontal lobes, which could be linked to the virus's entry point being adjacent to these brain regions, as suggested by Dr. Zulfi Haneef. The analysis of EEG results from 617 patients revealed that slowing of brain waves and abnormal electrical discharges were the most common findings, and the severity of EEG abnormalities positively correlated with the disease's severity and the presence of preexisting neurological medical-conditions such as epilepsy. Moreover, long COVID, or lingering health issues experienced by some COVID-19 survivors, has been linked to cognitive impairment, including 'brain fog,' and a recent study indicates that individuals who had COVID-19 performed poorly on cognitive tests compared to non-infected individuals, suggesting potential long-term cognitive impact from the virus. Despite these findings, the complexity of COVID-19's effects on the brain remains a topic of ongoing research in the field of health-and-wellness, with neurological disorders and cognitive impacts being a prime area of focus.
