Brain's Frontal Lobes Electrical Activity May Be Affected by COVID-19
Approximately 15-25% of patients with severe COVID-19 experience neurological symptoms, such as headaches, confusion, and seizures. Researchers analyzed EEG results from 617 patients to investigate how the virus affects the brain.
The review, published in the journal Seizure: European Journal of Epilepsy, found that around a third of the abnormalities were in the frontal lobes of the brain, leading researchers to hypothesize a connection between the virus and the frontal lobe.
Dr. Zulfi Haneef, one of the study's co-authors, explained that since the most likely entry point for the virus is the nose, the proximity to the frontal lobe might be significant. He suggested that wider use of EEG tests and other brain imaging techniques, such as MRI or CT scans, could provide a closer look at the frontal lobe.
The researchers noted that while the virus may not be directly responsible for all abnormalities, systemic effects of the infection, such as inflammation, low oxygen levels, and cardiac arrest, could play a role in other brain abnormalities.
More than 70% of patients showed "diffuse slowing" in the background electrical activity of their brains. This finding could contribute to the increasing reports of "brain fog" among individuals who have recovered from COVID-19, also known as long COVID.
A recent, unpublished study suggested that COVID-19 infection may have aged people cognitively by about a decade, raising concerns about long-term cognitive decline. However, experts cautioned that this study did not prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship.
Dr. Haneef stated that the EEG findings support these concerns, as they indicate potential long-term neurological issues. On the positive side, approximately 56.8% of patients showed improvements in EEG tests during follow-up.
The study had several limitations, including lack of access to raw data, potential omission of normal EEGs, and the administration of anti-seizure medications to some patients, which could have affected the research results.
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- The coronavirus, as seen in severe COVID-19 cases, is linked to neurological symptoms like seizures, confirming the need for further scientific investigation into its effects on the brain and health-and-wellness.
- A significant number of patients (around a third) exhibit abnormalities in the frontal lobes of the brain, leading researchers to hypothesize a potential link between the virus and mental-health issues like epilepsy seizures.
- In addition to direct impacts, the virus may also trigger systemic effects such as inflammation, low oxygen levels, and cardiac arrest that could lead to other neurological disorders.
- Long-term neurological issues, such as "brain fog" and potential cognitive decline during recovery from COVID-19, have been suggested by multiple studies on health-and-wellness, underscoring the importance of ongoing medical-condition monitoring and brain imaging techniques like EEG, MRI, and CT scans.
