COVID-19 and Brain Abnormalities: A Closer Look
Brain's Frontal Lobes Electrical Activity Potentially Disrupted by COVID-19
Maybe you've heard about neurological symptoms related to COVID-19, like headaches, confusion, and seizures. Well, guess what? Research suggests these symptoms might be linked to some suspicious activity in the ol' grey matter.
Here's the lowdown: Around one in seven patients with severe COVID-19 experiences neurological issues. When doctors want a closer look at what's going on in the brain, they might refer patients for an EEG test. That's where electrodes are placed on the scalp to gather data on the brain's electrical activity.
Now, let's dive into some research by a couple of smart cookies from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh. They sifted through EEG results of 617 patients, collected in 84 different studies. Here's what they found:
- The most common finding was the slowing of brain waves, followed by abnormal electrical discharges.
- The extent of EEG abnormalities seemed to increase with the severity of the disease and the presence of pre-existing neurological conditions, like epilepsy.
- The frontal lobes, sitting right next to the likeliest entry point for the virus (the nose), showed around a third of the abnormal findings.
"The virus might not be the sole culprit for all the damage," says Dr. Zulfi Haneef, assistant professor of neurology/neurophysiology at Baylor. "Systemic effects of the infection, such as inflammation, low oxygen levels, sticky blood, and heart attacks, could contribute to EEG abnormalities beyond the frontal lobes."
The study also revealed "diffuse slowing" in the background electrical activity of the whole brain in almost 70% of patients. But here's the kicker: More than half of those who had follow-up EEG tests showed improvements!
Now, you might be wondering if COVID-19 could lead to long-term cognitive issues, also known as "brain fog." Well, a recent study suggests that people who have recovered from COVID-19 tend to perform worse on cognitive tests compared to those who haven't contracted the virus.
But Dr. Haneef warns, "These findings highlight concerns about long-term effects on the brain. A lot of people think they'll get sick, recover, and return to normal. But these results suggest there might be lingering issues we need to keep an eye on."
Extra Insights:
- In more severe cases of neurological involvement linked to COVID-19, diffuse slowing can indicate widespread brain dysfunction, often associated with conditions like acute necrotizing encephalopathy.
- Pre-existing neurological conditions can exacerbate the neurological impact of COVID-19.
- EEG findings can be essential in monitoring the progression of neurological symptoms in COVID-19 patients and can help detect worsening conditions early, guiding timely interventions.
- Changes in EEG patterns over time can indicate how well a patient is responding to treatment, which is vital for adjusting therapy strategies.
- Studies indicate that epilepsy, a neurological disorder, might be exacerbated in the presence of COVID-19, as the extent of Electrical Encephalography (EEG) abnormalities seems to increase with the severity of the disease and the presence of pre-existing neurological conditions.
- The coronavirus and the subsequent COVID-19 disease have been linked to brain abnormalities, with one-in-seven patients with severe COVID-19 experiencing neurological issues such as seizures, headaches, and confusion.
- Research in the field of health and wellness, including studies by scientists from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh, has shown that COVID-19 can lead to long-term cognitive issues, also known as "brain fog," and that these effects might persist even after recovery from the primary infection.
