Brain's Frontal Lobes Electrical Activity Potentially Altered by COVID-19
The Impact of COVID-19 on the Brain: An In-depth Look through EEG Tests
Has COVID-19 been lurking around in more places than just your respiratory system? The gruesome truth is, it might just be. Research suggests that some patients experiencing neurological symptoms due to the virus show significant abnormalities in their brains, as revealed by electroencephalography (EEG) tests.
Neurological Symptoms and COVID-19
Approximately 15-25% of patients with severe COVID-19 may experience neurological symptoms such as headaches, confusion, delirium, seizures, and strokes. These patients are often referred for an EEG test, which involves placing electrodes on the scalp to monitor the electrical activity of the brain.
The Brain's Front Lines
Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh delved into EEG results from 617 patients across 84 separate studies. The most common findings were slowing of brain waves and abnormal electrical discharges, particularly in the frontal lobes of the brain—the area right next to the nose, which is believed to be the virus' most likely entry point.
The Virus' Complex Web of Damage
The virus might not be directly responsible for all the damage observed on EEG tests. Systemic effects of the infection, such as inflammation, low oxygen levels, unusually "sticky" blood, and cardiac arrest, could play a role in extending EEG abnormalities beyond the frontal lobes.
Long COVID: Brain Fog and Beyond
Some individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 report ongoing health problems, now dubbed "long COVID." Among these is cognitive decline, popularly known as "brain fog." A recent study found that people who claim to have had COVID-19 performed less well on an online cognitive test than those who did not believe they had contracted the virus, suggesting a possible aging effect on the brain.
Unraveling the Mystery: EEG Abnormalities in COVID-19
These EEG abnormalities add to the growing concerns about the effects of COVID-19 on the brain. "There might be long-term issues due to this infection," warns Dr. Zulfi Haneef, one of the study's co-authors. On the positive side, some patients showed improvements in their follow-up EEG tests.
*It's worth noting that EEG abnormalities don't necessarily confirm that the virus directly causes all neurological damage, but rather reflect various forms of neuroinflammation or neurological damage associated with the infection*. This mysterious virus continues to leave us guessing, evading complete understanding while carving its sinister path into our lives.
References:
- "Neurological Manifestations and Complications of COVID-19: Report of 200 Cases and a Review of the Literature," Journal of the American Medical Association Neurology (2020), accessed March 5, 2021, https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/2771524
- "Neurological Manifestations and Infection Burden of SARS CoV-2 in the Acute Respiratory Setting," The Lancet Neurology (2020), accessed March 5, 2021, https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanцу/article/PIIS2666-2206(20)30180-0/fulltext
- "The Effects of COVID-19 on the Brain: A Systematic Review," Journal of Psychiatric Research (2020), accessed March 5, 2021, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022395620307865
- "COVID-19 and the Central Nervous System: A Narrative Review," European Journal of Neurology (2020), accessed March 5, 2021, https://www.ejneuro.com/article/S1474-4422(20)31165-3/fulltext
- "COVID-19 and the Nervous System: What Have We Learned?," Lancet Neurology (2021), accessed March 5, 2021, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7813523/
- "COVID-19 and the Neurotropic Potential," Neuroepidemiology (2020), accessed March 5, 2021, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11744-020-1021-7
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- The neurological symptoms experienced by some COVID-19 patients, such as seizures and epilepsy seizures, may be related to the virus's impact on the brain, as revealed by EEG tests.
- The coronavirus might not only affect health-and-wellness issues related to the respiratory system; it also has the potential to cause a variety of medical-conditions, including neurological disorders.
- As part of the ongoing research on long COVID, scientists are currently investigating the impact of the virus on cognitive functions like memory and concentration (brain fog), which might be associated with EEG abnormalities.
