COVID-19 may cause disruptions in the electrical activity of the frontal lobes of the brain.
In a analyzation of 617 patients with neurological symptoms due to COVID-19, researchers observed a common trend of abnormalities in the frontal lobes of the brain, particularly indicative of slowing brain waves and unusual electrical activity. These EEG abnormalities positively correlated with the severity of the disease and preexisting neurological conditions, such as epilepsy.
Moreover, approximately 15-25% of patients with severe COVID-19 may experience neurological symptoms, which include headaches, confusion, delirium, impaired consciousness, seizures, and strokes. Medical professionals may administer an EEG test to these patients to monitor the electrical activity of their brains.
Researchers investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the brain, using EEG results from various studies. They found that the virus may not be solely responsible for all the damage, as systemic effects, such as inflammation, low oxygen levels, thickened blood, and cardiac arrest, could play a role in EEG aberrations that extend beyond the frontal lobes.
Somewho have recuperated from COVID-19 report ongoing health issues, known as "long COVID". Among these is "brain fog". While a recent, unpublished study shows that individuals who claim to have had COVID-19 perform less well on a cognitive test, it does not definitively prove that the infection caused long-term cognitive decline. Nevertheless, the presence of EEG abnormalities in patients with neurological symptoms from COVID-19 intensifies concerns about potential long-term effects on the brain.
The study indicates that improvements can be observed in 56.8% of patients with follow-up EEG tests. However, the research results had certain limitations, such as lack of access to raw data from individual studies, potential omission of normal EEG reports, disproportional use of EEGs on patients with neurological symptoms, and potential obscuring of seizure signs due to medication administration.
[1] Abdeljalil, M., et al., "Neurological Manifestations of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): A Narrative Review." Journal of Neurology, 2020.[2] Chen, Y., et al., "Neuropsychiatric Manifestations Of Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) With Special Emphasis On Children." Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 2020.[3] Haneef, Z., et al., "CNS Complications Of Neurological Dysfunction In Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) Infections: A Systematic Review." Neurology, 2020.[4] Ferri, F., et al., "Neurologic Complications in Coronavirus Disease 2019." American Journal of Neuroradiology, 2020.[5] Talaat, H., et al., "Systematic review: neuropsychiatric complications of COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2," European Psychiatry, 2021.
- The correlation between the severity of coronavirus (COVID-19) and the occurrence of epilepsy-related seizures could potentially be explained by the abnormalities found in EEG results, indicative of slowing brain waves and unusual electrical activity in the frontal lobes.
- In the realm of health-and-wellness, it's imperative for medical professionals and researchers to focus on the mental-health implications of COVID-19, particularly the impact on brain function and cognitive abilities, as well as the possible long-term effects caused by the virus.
- Fitness-and-exercise regimens could play a vital role in enhancing the overall health of COVID-19 survivors, potentially aiding in the recovery from symptoms such as "brain fog" and helping to mitigate the long-term effects on the brain.
