COVID-19 Infection May Affect Electrical Function in Frontal Lobes of the Brain
🔥COVID-19, Neurological Symptoms, and Brain Abnormalities – What We Know So Far🔥
It's no secret that COVID-19 can leave lingering effects on our health. But did you know it could potentially mess with our brains too? A review of research suggests that, yeah, it might.
🧠🦠 Neurological Symptoms 🦠🧠
Approximately 15-25% of patients with severe COVID-19 may experience neurological symptoms. These can range from headaches and confusion to seizures and strokes.
Doctors might refer patients experiencing such symptoms for an EEG test. This involves placing electrodes on the scalp to monitor the electrical activity of the brain.
🧠💡 EEG Abnormalities 💡🧠
Researchers analyzed EEG results from 617 patients, reported in 84 different studies, to investigate how COVID-19 affects the brain. They identified the slowing of brain waves and abnormal electrical discharges as the most common findings.
Interestingly, these EEG abnormalities seemed to correlate with the severity of the disease and the presence of preexisting neurological conditions, like epilepsy.
🌪️ The Frontal Lobes – A Hot Spot?
Around a third of the EEG abnormalities were found in the frontal lobes of the brain. Dr. Zulfi Haneef, one of the study co-authors, notes that the most likely entry point for the virus is the nose, which is near the frontal lobes. He suggests that this could be a connection.
More research is needed to confirm this theory, though. It's also worth mentioning that the virus might not be directly responsible for all the damage—systemic effects of the infection, such as inflammation and low oxygen levels, could play a part.
🧠🧠 Brain Fog and Long COVID 🧠🧠
Some people who have recovered from COVID-19 report ongoing health problems, often referred to as long COVID. These can include cognitive issues such as brain fog.
A recent study found that individuals who claimed to have had COVID performed less well on an online cognitive test than those who did not think they had contracted the virus. Experts suggest that this could mean the infection may age people cognitively by around a decade.
📝 Takeaways 📝
- COVID-19 can lead to neurological symptoms and potential EEG abnormalities, with the frontal lobes appearing to be a hot spot.
- Systemic effects of the infection, such as inflammation, low oxygen levels, and cardiac arrest, could play a role in EEG abnormalities that extend beyond the frontal lobes.
- More research is needed to fully understand the relationship between COVID-19, neurological symptoms, and EEG abnormalities in the frontal lobes.
- The coronavirus disease, COVID-19, has been found to potentially cause neurological symptoms in 15-25% of patients with severe cases, including epilepsy seizures, strokes, and confusion.
- Doctors may refer patients with such symptoms for electroencephalography (EEG) tests to monitor the electrical activity of the brain.
- Researchers have found that COVID-19 could lead to EEG abnormalities, such as the slowing of brain waves and abnormal electrical discharges, with a third of these abnormalities being found in the frontal lobes of the brain.
- The presence of preexisting neurological conditions, like epilepsy, seems to correlate with these EEG abnormalities.
- More research is needed to fully understand the relationship between COVID-19, neurological symptoms, and EEG abnormalities in the frontal lobes, as the virus might not be solely responsible for the damage—systemic effects of the infection, such as inflammation, low oxygen levels, and cardiac arrest, could be contributing factors.
- Individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 may experience long-term health effects, including cognitive issues such as brain fog, which could age their cognitive abilities by around a decade according to recent studies.
