COVID-19 may cause disruptions in electrical activity within the frontal lobes of the brain.
A Peek into COVID-19's Impact on the Brain
The brain takes a hit with COVID-19, according to a research review. The infection’s neurological symptoms, such as headaches, confusion, and seizures, are often accompanied by abnormalities in the brain wave patterns picked up by EEG tests.
Over a fifth of severe COVID-19 patients may experience neurological symptoms, research shows. When such patients undergo EEG tests, the frontal lobes of their brains are most likely to show abnormalities.
"There's a connection between the part of the brain located next to the nose, which is the most likely entry point, and the abnormalities we're seeing," explains Dr. Zulfi Haneef, an assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine.
While the virus might not be the sole culprit behind all the brain abnormalities, other factors like inflammation, low oxygen levels, and unusual blood thickening could also play a role.
The virus may lead to "diffuse slowing" in the background activity of the whole brain in around 70% of patients, as indicated by the study.
Some recovered COVID-19 patients report persistent health issues, often known as long COVID. Among these is a phenomenon called "brain fog." A recent, yet unPublished study suggests that individuals who believe they had COVID-19 show decreased cognitive performance compared to those who did not.
The presence of EEG abnormalities linked to COVID-19's neurological symptoms adds to the concerns around lasting brain effects. Dr. Haneef underlines, "People think recovering from the illness means everything will go back to normal, but our findings suggest the possibility of long-term issues."
On a positive note, over half of the patients with follow-up EEG tests showed improvements. The researchers acknowledge limitations in their study, such as lack of raw data from individual studies, potentially skewed results due to disproportionate EEG testing on patients with symptoms, and the possibility of obscured seizure signs due to anti-seizure medication.
Digging Deeper:Research specifically linking COVID-19 severity with EEG abnormalities in the frontal lobes is scarce. However, some studies hint at COVID-19's potential impact on neurocognitive functioning and neuropsychiatric symptoms, which may correlate with EEG changes.
- Neurocognitive Deficits: COVID-19 has been linked to executive function deficits and neuropsychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression. Executive functions are often related to frontal lobe activity, implying that COVID-19 could affect frontal lobe EEG patterns indirectly.
- EEG and Stress Research: Research on stress detection using EEG frequently focuses on frontal and temporal channels. While this body of work does not directly concern COVID-19, it demonstrates how stress (potentially stemming from severe illness) might affect EEG patterns.
- Future Research: For a more concrete link between COVID-19 severity and frontal lobe EEG abnormalities, research specifically focusing on EEG changes in COVID-19 patients, particularly severe cases, would be essential. Such studies could explore how COVID-19 impacts frontal lobe EEG activity and relate it to clinical outcomes.
- The studies suggest that COVID-19 may have indirect effects on frontal lobe EEG patterns through its influence on neuropsychiatric disorders like anxiety and depression, which are related to executive functions.
- EEG research on stress detection often focuses on the frontal and temporal channels, implying that severe illness like COVID-19, which can cause stress, might influence EEG patterns in these regions.
- To establish a stronger link between COVID-19 severity and frontal lobe EEG abnormalities, future research specifically designed to study EEG changes in COVID-19 patients, with a focus on severe cases, is needed.
- With more research on the effects of COVID-19 on frontal lobe EEG activity, we can better understand its potential impact on various medical conditions such as neurocognitive functioning, mental health, and neurological disorders, like epilepsy seizures and other neurological disorders.
