Brain's Frontal Lobes Electrical Activity Disruption Potentially Linked to COVID-19
Revised Review: COVID-19 and Brain Abnormalities
COVID-19 can have significant impacts on the brain, as highlighted by a review of research studies. Neurological symptoms such as headaches, confusion, and seizures are common among severe COVID-19 patients, affecting roughly 15-25% of cases.
Doctors may order an electroencephalography (EEG) test for these patients to monitor the electrical activity of the brain. Intriguingly, around a third of the identified abnormal EEG findings were in the frontal lobes, leading researchers to hypothesize a connection between the virus's entry point in the nose and the affected brain area.
The research, led by experts from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh, analyzed EEG results from 617 patients, reported in 84 different studies. The most common findings were slowing of brain waves and abnormal electrical discharges. Interestingly, the extent of the EEG abnormalities positively correlated with the severity of the disease and whether patients had preexisting neurological conditions.
While the virus may not be directly responsible for all the damage, systemic effects such as inflammation, low oxygen levels, and cardiac arrest may play a role in EEG abnormalities that extend beyond the frontal lobes.
These findings underscore the need for further investigation using various brain imaging techniques. As Dr. Zulfi Haneef, one of the study's co-authors, notes, "These findings tell us that we need to try EEG on a wider range of patients, as well as other types of brain imaging, such as MRI or CT scans, that will give us a closer look at the frontal lobe."
Long-term health issues, such as "brain fog," are a growing concern among those who have recovered from COVID-19. A recent study found that individuals who report contracting COVID-19 performed less well on an online cognitive test than non-infected individuals, suggesting cognitive decline by around a decade. While this cross-sectional study doesn't conclusively prove long-term cognitive decline, it raises alarm about potential lasting effects on the brain.
The association between EEG abnormalities and COVID-19 neurological symptoms adds to these concerns. As Dr. Haneef says, "A lot of people think they will get the illness, get well, and everything will go back to normal, but these findings tell us 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 patients with follow-up EEG tests showed improvements. However, the study had limitations, such as lack of access to raw data, the possibility of missing normal EEGs, and doctors administering anti-seizure medications obscuring signs of seizures in EEG traces.
While specific studies directly addressing the prevalence of EEG abnormalities in patients with neurological symptoms associated with COVID-19 are limited, the broader context of neurological symptoms in COVID-19 patients suggests that factors like infection severity and potential interventions like non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation can influence neurological outcomes. Further research is needed to fully understand the prevalence and specific factors influencing EEG abnormalities in this context.
[1] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/dsh-neurologic-manifestations.html
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34459138
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8190036/
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7866978/
- The coronavirus, COVID-19, has been linked to various neurological conditions, including epilepsy seizures, in severe cases, affecting approximately 15-25% of patients.
- The review of research studies on COVID-19 and brain abnormalities revealed that about a third of identified electroencephalography (EEG) abnormalities were in the frontal lobes, suggesting a possible connection between the virus's entry point and the affected brain area.
- The study also found that the extent of EEG abnormalities correlated positively with the severity of the disease and the presence of preexisting medical conditions such as other neurological disorders, mental health issues, and health-and-wellness-related medical conditions.
- As more research is conducted, it becomes clear that COVID-19 may have long-term effects on mental health, neurological disorders, and cognitive function, with potential implications for health-and-wellness in recovered patients.
