Brain's Frontal Lobes Electrical Activity May Be Affected by COVID-19
The research points towards a connection between COVID-19 and abnormalities in the brain, as detected by electroencephalography (EEG) tests. About 15-25% of severe COVID-19 patients may experience neurological symptoms, which can include headaches, confusion, and seizures.
Medical professionals might refer patients with such symptoms for an EEG test, which involves electrodes being placed on the scalp to monitor the brain's electrical activity. Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh analyzed EEG results from 617 patients, found in 84 different studies.
The most common EEG abnormalities they discovered were a slowing of brain waves and irregular electrical discharges. The severity of the disease and any pre-existing neurological conditions, like epilepsy, positively correlated with the extent of these abnormalities.
Around a third of the abnormal findings were in the frontal lobes of the brain. Dr. Zulfi Haneef, assistant professor of neurology/neurophysiology at Baylor, suggests that this could be due to the nose being the most likely entry point for the virus, since the frontal lobe is located near it. He emphasizes the need for wider EEG tests and other brain imaging techniques, such as MRIs or CT scans, to examine the frontal lobe more closely.
However, the researchers suggest that the virus might not be directly responsible for all the damage. Systemic effects of the infection, like inflammation, low oxygen levels, and cardiac arrest, could also play a role in the EEG abnormalities found in patients beyond the frontal lobes.
Some people who have recovered from COVID-19 report lasting health problems, collectively known as "long COVID." Among these issues is "brain fog." A recent study found that individuals who claim to have had COVID-19 performed less well on a cognitive test than those who did not believe they had contracted the virus. While this study hasn't been peer-reviewed or published yet, it raises concerns about long-term effects on the brain.
Dr. Haneef remarks that the presence of EEG abnormalities associated with COVID-19 neurological symptoms amplifies these concerns. He adds, "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."
Despite these findings, the authors acknowledge several limitations in their analysis, such as the lack of access to raw data from individual studies, possible omission of many normal EEGs, and the potential skewing of research results due to doctors performing more EEGs on patients with neurological symptoms. They also mention that giving anti-seizure medications to suspected seizure patients might have obscured signs of seizures in their EEG traces.
Still, around 56.8% of the patients who had follow-up EEG tests demonstrated improvements, offering a glimmer of hope. Research in this area is necessary to establish definitive links between EEG abnormalities and COVID-19 neurological symptoms, and to understand the long-term implications for those who have survived the illness. Stay informed and updated on the latest developments regarding COVID-19 by visiting our coronavirus hub.
- The coronavirus, as detected by electroencephalography (EEG) tests, may be linked to brain abnormalities in severe COVID-19 patients.
- A significant number of severe COVID-19 patients, around 15-25%, experience neurological symptoms such as headaches, confusion, and seizures.
- EEG tests involve electrodes being placed on the scalp to monitor the brain's electrical activity, and can reveal abnormalities like slowing of brain waves and irregular electrical discharges.
- The severity of the disease and any pre-existing neurological conditions like epilepsy correlate with the extent of EEG abnormalities.
- About a third of the EEG abnormalities were found in the frontal lobes of the brain, suggesting a possible infection entry point, as the frontal lobe is located near the nose.
- Researchers suggest that, beyond direct virus damage, systemic effects of the infection, such as inflammation, low oxygen levels, and cardiac arrest, could also contribute to EEG abnormalities.
