Brain's frontal lobes' electrical activity disrupted by COVID-19
The study of neurological symptoms in COVID-19 patients has revealed a startling prevalence of abnormalities in brain activity, as identified by electroencephalography (EEG) tests. Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh analyzed EEG data from 617 patients to explore the impact of COVID-19 on the brain.
Around 15-25% of patients with severe COVID-19 might experience neurological symptoms such as headaches, confusion, delirium, impaired consciousness, seizures, and strokes. Medical professionals often refer patients who display such symptoms for an EEG test, which involves placing electrodes on the scalp to monitor the electrical activity of the brain.
According to the researchers, the most prevalent findings in their study were a slowing of brain waves and abnormal electrical discharges. The extent of the EEG abnormalities seemed to increase in correlation with the severity of the disease and the presence of pre-existing neurological conditions, such as epilepsy.
One third of the EEG abnormalities occurred in the frontal lobes of the brain. Dr. Zulfi Haneef, assistant professor of neurology/neurophysiology at Baylor, speculates that this could be because the virus's most likely entry point is the nose, which is situated close to the frontal lobes. He suggests that EEG tests and other brain imaging techniques, like MRI or CT scans, should be carried out on a wider range of patients to gain a closer understanding of the frontal lobe's role in the disease.
However, the virus may not be solely responsible for all the observed brain damage. Systemic effects of the infection, such as inflammation, low oxygen levels, unusually "sticky" blood, and cardiac arrest, could potentially contribute to EEG abnormalities extending beyond the frontal lobes.
In the study, the researchers discovered diffuse slowing in the background electrical activity of the whole brain in almost 70% of patients. The ongoing health issues some individuals experience after recovering from COVID-19, now labeled 'long COVID,' may include cognitive declines or 'brain fog.' A recent unpublished study found that individuals who claim to have had COVID-19 performed less well on an online cognitive test than those who did not believe they were infected. The authors of the study suggested that the infection might cause cognitive decline by approximately a decade.
Despite these concerns, the authors of the EEG study noted improvements in more than half of the patients who underwent follow-up tests. However, their analysis did have some limitations, including a lack of access to individual study data, potential omissions of normal EEGs, and potential skewing of results due to doctors administering anti-seizure medications to some patients.
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- The study on neurological symptoms in COVID-19 patients, conducted by researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh, has identified that around 15-25% of patients with severe COVID-19 might experience seizures among other neurological symptoms.
- The researchers discovered a slowing of brain waves and abnormal electrical discharges in 70% of the patients they analyzed using electroencephalography (EEG) tests, and these abnormalities were more prevalent in those with pre-existing neurological conditions like epilepsy.
- In addition to potential direct effects of the virus, systemic factors like inflammation, low oxygen levels, and abnormal blood clotting could contribute to the observed EEG abnormalities, potentially affecting areas beyond the frontal lobes of the brain.
- The ongoing health issues some individuals experience after recovering from COVID-19, known as 'long COVID,' can include cognitive declines or 'brain fog,' suggesting a potential long-term impact of the virus on mental health and neurological disorders.
