Brain's frontal lobes can experience electrical disruptions due to COVID-19 infection.
Whether you're dealing with COVID-19 or not, neurological symptoms can be a real headache—and maybe even a brain fog. Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh found that one-third of patients with neurological symptoms related to COVID-19 had abnormalities in their electroencephalography (EEG) tests, with the most common issues being a slowing of brain waves and abnormal electrical discharges.
That ain't all, though. Those EEG funky readings tended to happen more in the frontal lobes, the area right next to the ol' stuffy nose entry point for the virus. Dr. Zulfi Haneef, one of the study's co-authors, thinks that's no coinci-dink: "Since the most likely entry point for the virus is the nose, there seems to be a connection."
But it's not just the virus itself doing the damage. Other systemic effects of the infection, such as inflammation, low oxygen levels, blood that's stickier than usual, and even cardiac arrest, could play a role in creating EEG abnormalities that aren't limited to the frontal lobes.
Some folks who have recovered from COVID-19 report lasting health issues, now called long COVID. One such issue is "brain fog." A recent study found that people who think they've had COVID performed worse on an online test than those who haven't. The infection might age your brain cognitively by around a decade, though more research is needed to be certain.
Haneef believes that these EEG anomalies add to the concerns about lasting effects on the brain. "A lot of people think they'll get the illness, get well, and everything will go back to normal, but these findings tell us there might be long-term issues," he explained.
On the bright side, 56.8% of patients who had follow-up EEG tests showed improvements. However, the study had its limitations, including access to raw data and potential skewing due to doctors performing more EEGs on patients with neurological symptoms.
In short, COVID-19 can mess with your noggin, and we're still learning about the long-term effects. Just remember: always wear a mask, wash your hands, and maybe invest in a good helmet for that extra brain protection.
- Coronavirus, when untreated, can lead to neurological symptoms like brain fog, and one-third of patients experiencing these symptoms show abnormalities in their EEG tests, particularly in the frontal lobes where the virus enters the body.
- Beyond the virus itself, systemic effects like inflammation, low oxygen levels, and cardiac arrest can also contribute to EEG abnormalities, not just in the frontal lobes but possibly extending to other areas of the brain.
- After recovering from COVID-19, some people report lasting health issues, including brain fog, and a study suggested that these individuals perform poorly on cognitive tests, potentially indicating that the infection may age the brain by around a decade.
- According to Dr. Zulfi Haneef, these EEG anomalies raise concerns about potential long-term effects on the brain, and while some patients show improvements after EEG follow-ups, broader research is still needed to understand the lasting impacts of the virus on mental health and neurological disorders.
