COVID-19 Infection May Impair Frontal Lobe Function in Brain Electrical Activity
Refreshed Review: COVID-19's Impact on the Brain
COVID-19 chips away at the brain in a variety of ways, leading to troublesome neurological symptoms. According to recent studies, approximately 15-25% of patients with severe COVID-19 may experience such symptoms, including headaches, confusion, impaired consciousness, seizures, and strokes. When these symptoms occur, doctors often refer patients for electroencephalography (EEG) tests, which measure brain wave activity, to get a closer look.
Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, analyzed EEG data from 617 patients across 84 studies. The bulk of these patients were aged 61 and over, with males outnumbering females. The most common abnormalities observed were slowing of brain waves and irregular electrical discharges.
These EEG abnormalities appeared more prevalent in the frontal lobes of the brain, leading to speculation about the virus' potential entry point. Dr. Zulfi Haneef, an assistant professor of neurology/neurophysiology at Baylor, notes that, given the virus' typical entry point is the nose, there's likely a connection to the brain region that lies adjacent.
However, the virus might not be solely to blame for these alterations in brain wave activity. Extraneous factors such as inflammation, low oxygen levels, coagulation issues, and heart complications could also play a role, leading to widespread EEG abnormalities.
Some individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 report lasting effects, often labeled as 'long COVID.' Among these lingering impacts is so-called 'brain fog.' One recent study, yet to undergo peer review, suggests that individuals who claim to have had COVID may experience cognitive decline, aging their brains by around a decade.
These EEG abnormalities add to concerns about long-term issues associated with the virus. Dr. Haneef insists, "Everyone thinks they will get over the illness and things will go back to normal, but these findings tell us that there might be long-term issues." On the optimistic side, 56.8% of those who underwent follow-up EEG tests showed improvements, offering a glimmer of hope.
It's essential to recognize that this research carried limitations, most notably a lack of access to raw data and the possibility of skewed results from unreported normal EEGs and over-administration of anti-seizure medications. Further investigation is needed to better understand the connection between COVID-19 and EEG abnormalities in the frontal lobes.
For more information on COVID-19 prevention and treatment, visit our coronavirus hub. And remember, there's always a chance that your brain's not quite the same after battling this bug, so keep that in mind.
Enrichment Data:
The link between COVID-19 and EEG abnormalities in the frontal lobes is not extensively documented. However, research suggests that post-COVID-19, neurocognitive impairments, such as deficits in executive functioning, are prevalent and related to neurological symptoms and lower quality of life. Executive functions predominantly involve the frontal lobes, suggesting potential abnormalities here. Controlling factors like neuroinflammation, neurological complication, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and cognitive load can contribute to EEG abnormalities. Pre-existing neuropsychiatric disorders or neurological conditions might make individuals more susceptible to EEG abnormalities if infected with COVID-19. Onward research is necessary to establish specific ties and contributing factors.
- Despite the lack of extensive documentation linking COVID-19 to EEG abnormalities in the frontal lobes, research indicates that neurocognitive impairments, such as deficits in executive functioning, are prevalent after recovering from COVID-19, suggesting potential abnormalities in these brain regions.
- With executive functions primarily involving the frontal lobes, the prevalence of neurocognitive impairments could be tied to potential neurological symptoms, lower quality of life, and the associated EEG abnormalities in these brain regions.
- Pre-existing neuropsychiatric disorders or neurological conditions, such as epilepsy and other neurological disorders, might make individuals more susceptible to EEG abnormalities upon contracting COVID-19, emphasizing the need for onward research to establish specific connections and contributing factors.
