Brain's Frontal Lobes Disrupted by COVID-19: Electrical Activity Affected
Some folks who've recovered from COVID-19 report ongoing health issues, often referred to as long COVID. Among these hassles is "brain fog."
A recent, yet-to-be-peer-reviewed study, uploaded to the preprint server MedRxiv, discovered that individuals who claimed to have had COVID-19 performed worse on a cognitive test than those who didn't suspect they'd caught the virus. The researchers suggest that the infection may age people cognitively by around a decade.
While the connection between COVID-19 and the brain is still being explored, a review of research suggests that abnormalities in the front of the brain, identified by electroencephalography (EEG) tests, are common in patients with neurological symptoms related to COVID-19.
Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, and the University of Pittsburgh, PA, analyzed EEG results from 617 patients across 84 different studies. Approximately 15-25% of patients with severe COVID-19 may experience neurological symptoms, such as headaches, confusion, delirium, impaired consciousness, seizures, and strokes. Doctors may refer these patients for an EEG test, where electrodes are placed on the scalp to monitor the electrical activity of the brain.
Around a third of the abnormal findings in the patients' EEGs were centered in the frontal lobes of the brain. "We know that the most likely entry point for the virus is the nose, so there seems to be a connection between the part of the brain that is located directly next to that entry point," says Dr. Zulfi Haneef, assistant professor of neurology/neurophysiology at Baylor and one of the study's co-authors.
Although the virus may not be directly responsible for all the damage, systemic effects of the infection, such as inflammation, low oxygen levels, blood that sticks uncommonly, and cardiac arrest, may play a role in EEG abnormalities that extend beyond the frontal lobes.
"The extent of the EEG abnormalities positively correlated with the severity of the disease and whether the patients had pre-existing neurological conditions, such as epilepsy," notes Dr. Haneef.
Interestingly, some people who exhibited follow-up EEG tests showed improvements. However, the analysis had several limitations, including the lack of access to raw data from individual studies and the potential skewing of results due to doctors performing disproportionately more EEGs on patients with neurological symptoms.
While the search results do not directly address EEG abnormalities in COVID-19 patients or their correlation with disease severity and pre-existing conditions, they touch on other aspects of COVID-19's impact on the body.
COVID-19 can lead to neurological symptoms due to direct viral invasion of neural tissues or inflammatory responses affecting the nervous system. This has been linked to a higher risk of developing conditions like Parkinson's disease. In addition, long COVID (post-COVID syndrome) affects up to 80% of patients and can lead to symptoms like fatigue and depression, which may have neurological underpinnings. Techniques like transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation (taVNS) are being explored for their potential to reduce these symptoms by modulating the immune system and central pathways.
Due to the complexity of factors involved, such as neurological damage, systemic effects of the infection, and pre-existing conditions, further research directly concentrating on EEG changes in COVID-19 patients would be necessary to determine any specific correlation between EEG abnormalities and their relationship with disease severity and pre-existing conditions.
- People who have recovered from COVID-19 may experience ongoing health issues, including "brain fog."
- A study on MedRxiv suggests that COVID-19 may age people cognitively by around a decade.
- Neurological symptoms such as headaches, seizures, and strokes are common in patients with severe COVID-19.
- Doctors may use EEG tests to monitor the electrical activity of the brain in patients with COVID-19-related neurological symptoms.
- Approximately one-third of the abnormal findings in the patients' EEGs were centered in the frontal lobes of the brain.
- Systemic effects of COVID-19, such as inflammation, low oxygen levels, and cardiac arrest, may play a role in EEG abnormalities.
- The extent of EEG abnormalities positively correlated with the severity of the disease and pre-existing neurological conditions like epilepsy.
- Some patients showed improvements in follow-up EEG tests, but the analysis had limitations.
- COVID-19 can lead to neurological symptoms due to direct viral invasion or inflammatory responses.
- This link has been associated with a higher risk of developing conditions like Parkinson's disease.
- Long COVID can lead to symptoms like fatigue and depression, which may have neurological underpinnings.
- Techniques like transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation (taVNS) are being explored for their potential to reduce COVID-19-related neurological symptoms.
- Further research is necessary to determine any specific correlation between EEG abnormalities and disease severity and pre-existing conditions in COVID-19 patients.
- In addition to neurological conditions, COVID-19 can also affect other aspects of health and wellness, such as cancer, respiratory conditions, digestive health, eye health, hearing, fitness and exercise, sexual health, autoimmune disorders, mental health, men's health, skin care, therapies and treatments, nutrition, aging, women's health, parenting, weight management, cardiovascular health, Medicare, CBD, neurological disorders, skin conditions, and Medicaid.
- It's essential to prioritize overall health and wellness, including addressing potential neurological effects of COVID-19, to maintain quality of life during and after recovery.
