Brain's Frontal Lobes Electrical Activity Potentially Affected by COVID-19
A significant number of patients afflicted with severe COVID-19 experience neurological symptoms, including headaches, confusion, seizures, and impaired consciousness, according to a review of research. These symptoms are often accompanied by abnormalities in brain activity detected by electroencephalography (EEG) tests, with a particular focus on the frontal lobes of the brain.
Approximately 15-25% of patients with severe COVID-19 report neurological symptoms, and doctors may refer patients for EEG tests to monitor brain activity. Researchers conducted a comprehensive analysis of EEG results from 617 patients reported in 84 different studies, finding slowing of brain waves and abnormal electrical discharges as the most common findings.
These abnormalities were more prevalent in patients with preexisting neurological conditions, and their severity correlated with the severity of the disease. The journal Seizure: European Journal of Epilepsy published the review.
Dr. Zulfi Haneef, assistant professor of neurology/neurophysiology at Baylor College of Medicine, highlighted the importance of investigating brain activity in a wider range of patients, including through EEG and other brain imaging techniques such as MRI or CT scans.
The review does not imply that the virus is directly responsible for all brain damage, as other factors like inflammation, low oxygen levels, and cardiac arrest may also contribute to EEG abnormalities. Nonetheless, the virus may indirectly impact brain function.
Roughly one-third of EEG abnormalities were observed in the frontal lobes, leading researchers to speculate a connection between viral entry into the body and the area of the brain closest to the nose. As more individuals recover from COVID-19, reports of persistent health problems, referred to as 'long COVID,' have emerged. Among these issues is cognitive decline, or 'brain fog.'
A recent study found that individuals who self-report having had COVID-19 performed less well on an online cognitive test compared to those without such claims. While this study did not prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship, it raises concerns about lingering effects on the brain.
Doctors have reported improvements in over 50% of patients who underwent follow-up EEG tests, suggesting potential for recovery, despite limitations in the analysis, such as lack of access to raw data and potential biases in reporting.
- Patients with severe COVID-19 often experience neurological symptoms, such as seizures, and these symptoms can be linked to abnormalities in brain activity, particularly in the frontal lobes, as suggested by electroencephalography (EEG) tests.
- The review published in the journal Seizure: European Journal of Epilepsy reveals that around 15-25% of patients with severe COVID-19 report neurological symptoms, and these symptoms are more prevalent in patients with pre-existing neurological conditions.
- A recent study found that individuals who self-report having had COVID-19 performed less well on an online cognitive test, raising concerns about potential lingering effects on the brain, such as cognitive decline or 'brain fog,' which are common long-term effects of COVID-19 referred to as 'long COVID.'
