Impairments in electrical brain activity within the frontal lobes can potentially occur due to COVID-19 infection.
🧠 COVID-19's impact on the brain gets under the scalp-shell:
It's no secret that 15-25% of those with severe COVID-19 may have neurological symptoms, including headaches, delirium, and strokes. So, when the docs notice something fishy, they might whack 'em with an EEG test. This brainy gestapo involves sticking electrodes to your bonce to monitor neuron activity.
A brainy bunch from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh decided to snoop around the EEG test collection – a whopping 84 studies with 617 subjects, to be exact.
Surprise, surprise, the gravest cases and neurological freaks tended to have wiry-weird brain waves. Intriguingly, a third of these kinks occurred in the frontal lobes – the neighborhood right next to the virus' front door. That's where the suspicious Dr. Zulfi Haneef says the battle for territory might happen.
But, it ain't all on COVID-19's lap here. Inflammation, low oxygen levels, sticky blood, and cardiac arrest might play their part in messing up the electrical signals throughout the ol' grey matter. The dude even found that nearly 70% of patients had a general brain malfunction – a phenomenon called "diffuse slowing."
Sadly, some post-COVID sufferers report persistent health issues, fondly nicknamed "long COVID." One of these thorns in their side is "brain fog." In a completely unverified study, those claiming "I got COVID" struggled on a brain-teasin' online test compared to those who didn't rate themselves as infected. The authors suggested the virus might age folks cognitively by a decade.
Lab coats say the study doesn't prove a link between long-term cognitive decline and COVID-19, but they sure add to the concerns. Scientists like Dr. Haneef insist these EEG abnormalities increase the likelihood of long-term brain bumps and confirm the suspicions.
On the brighter side, around 56% of those who revisited for an EEG showed improvement. Research limitations include lack of access to raw EEG data, omitted normal tests, disproportionate testing on symptomatic individuals, and medication given to seizure suspects skewing results.
Stay on the "live update" bandwagon for the latest on COVID-19 and its neurological stunts. And remember, the ol' brain is one tough cookie, but we all gotta keep an eye on it.✌️🧠🦠
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7307560/[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7126447/
👩🔬 BRAIN FACTS 👨🔬- EEG abnormalities common amongst COVID patients: Between 30-80% of COVID patients show EEG abnormalities, depending on the study.- Common EEG patterns: Signs like slower brain waves and abnormal discharges frequently pop up.- Severe COVID, severe EEG abnormalities: Serious cases of COVID tend to have more significant EEG abnormalities, such as status epilepticus or severe encephalopathic patterns.- Neurological conditions: Those with existing neurological conditions may have more pronounced EEG abnormalities due to COVID-19's potential to exacerbate these conditions.- Preexisting disorders and effects: The presence of chronic neurological disorders could impact the severity and type of EEG findings during COVID-19 infections.
- The study of COVID-19's impact on the brain shows that between 30-80% of patients may experience EEG abnormalities, such as slower brain waves or abnormal discharges.
- COVID-19 patients with severe cases often exhibit more significant EEG abnormalities, like status epilepticus or severe encephalopathic patterns, which are often associated with other severe medical conditions such as epilepsy seizures and other neurological disorders.
- Health-and-wellness experts are encouraging those with pre-existing neurological disorders to be extra vigilant about any new symptoms or changes in their conditions, as COVID-19 may potentially exacerbate these disorders and affect their EEG readings, leading to health complications later on.
