Brain's Frontal Lobes Electrical Activity Affected by COVID-19
studying neurological symptoms in patients with severe COVID-19, a new review suggests that abnormalities in the brain's frontal lobe, as detected through electroencephalography (EEG) tests, are relatively common.
Approximately 15-25% of severe COVID-19 patients may experience neurological symptoms, including headaches, confusion, impaired consciousness, seizures, and strokes. To help understand the impact of the virus on the brain, researchers analyzed EEG results from 617 patients across 84 different studies.
Most patients (61.3 years old on average) were male, with two-thirds showing abnormalities in their EEG scans. The researchers found the most common findings to be the slowing of brain waves and abnormal electrical discharges.
The study's authors noted a positive correlation between the severity of the disease, the presence of preexisting neurological conditions such as epilepsy, and the extent of EEG abnormalities. Roughly a third of the abnormalities were found in the frontal lobes of the brain.
According to Dr. Zulfi Haneef, assistant professor of neurology/neurophysiology at Baylor College of Medicine, the virus's "most likely entry point" is the nose, suggesting a connection between the frontal lobe and the virus's entry point. Haneef advocates for a wider range of patients to undergo EEG testing and other brain imaging techniques like MRI or CT scans to get a closer look at the frontal lobe.
However, it is worth noting that the virus may not be directly attributable to all the damage, as systemic effects of the infection, such as inflammation, low oxygen levels, abnormal blood clotting, and cardiac arrest, may also play a role in EEG abnormalities beyond the frontal lobes.
Further studies are necessary to establish a more definitive correlation between abnormal EEG results and COVID-19 severity, particularly with regard to neurological symptoms and the frontal lobes of the brain.
Some individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 have reported ongoing health issues, now commonly referred to as "long COVID." Among these problems is cognitive impairment, known as "brain fog." A recent, yet unpublished study found that individuals who claim to have had COVID-19 performed less well on an online cognitive test compared to those who did not believe they contracted the virus.
This cross-sectional study suggests that the infection may lead to long-term cognitive decline, although experts caution that more research is needed to definitively draw that conclusion. The findings in the current review on EEG abnormalities associated with neurological symptoms add to the mounting concerns about lasting effects on the brain for COVID-19 patients.
On a positive note, 56.8% of patients who underwent follow-up EEG tests showed improvements. While further research is required to uncover a more absolute association between abnormal EEG results and COVID-19 severity, these findings hint at the potential for long-term neurological issues in some patients that warrant closer attention.
- The coronavirus, as per a new review, appears to cause neurological symptoms in approximately 15-25% of severe cases, including seizures, and researchers have found abnormalities in the brain's frontal lobe using EEG tests.
- The severity of COVID-19 seems to correlate with the presence of preexisting neurological conditions, such as epilepsy, and the extent of EEG abnormalities, with the frontal lobes being particularly affected.
- The ongoing health issues reported by some individuals who have recovered from COVID-19, known as "long COVID," include cognitive impairment, or "brain fog," which might be a result of the coronavirus's potential long-term impact on the brain.
