COVID-19 Infections Can Potentially Alter Electrical Functions in Frontal Regions of the Brain
A new analysis of research reveals that patients with severe COVID-19 often exhibit abnormalities in their brain function, as detected by electroencephalography (EEG) tests. These brain abnormalities are more common among those with neurological symptoms and are associated with disease severity.
Neurological symptoms, such as headaches, confusion, delirium, impaired consciousness, seizures, and strokes, have been estimated to affect between 15-25% of patients with severe COVID-19. Doctors may refer patients exhibiting such symptoms for EEG testing, which records the electrical activity of the brain.
Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh analyzed EEG results from 617 patients, combined from 84 different studies. The median age of the patients was 61.3 years, and two-thirds were males. The most common findings in the EEG tests were slowing of brain waves and abnormal electrical discharges.
The extent of these EEG abnormalities was found to positively correlate with the severity of the disease and the presence of pre-existing neurological conditions, such as epilepsy (Haneef, 2020). Notably, approximately one-third of the abnormal EEG findings were located in the frontal lobes of the brain.
"The most likely entry point for the virus is the nose, so there appears to be a connection between the part of the brain directly adjacent to that entry point," says Dr. Zulfi Haneef, one of the co-authors of the study. He suggests that a wider range of patients and additional brain imaging methods, such as MRI or CT scans, should be employed to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the virus's impact on the brain.
While the virus may not be solely responsible for all the damage observed, systemic effects of the infection, such as inflammation, low oxygen levels, and cardiac arrest, may contribute to EEG abnormalities extending beyond the frontal lobes (Haneef, 2020).
The authors identified "diffuse slowing" in the background electrical activity of the whole brain in almost 70% of patients. Some people who have recovered from COVID-19 report ongoing health problems, now labeled "long COVID." Among these is "brain fog."
A recent study found that individuals who claim to have had COVID-19 performed less well on an online cognitive test compared to those who did not believe they contracted the virus. The authors suggest that the infection may have temporarily aged people's brains cognitively by around a decade (Bergamaschi et al., 2020). Further research is needed to confirm this finding.
On a positive note, the study reports that 56.8% of patients showed improvements in their EEG readings during follow-up tests. However, the analysis had several limitations, including a lack of access to raw data from individual studies, potential omissions of normal EEGs, and the administration of anti-seizure medications to patients suspected of having seizures, possibly obscuring signs of such events (Haneef, 2020).
Sources:
Haneef, Z. (2020). Seizure: European Journal of Epilepsy.
Bergamaschi, M. M., et al. (2020). medRxiv, posted online July 1, 2020, doi:10.1101/2020.06.27.20139280
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- The coronavirus, specifically in severe cases, has been linked to neurological symptoms like seizures, and it seems that patients with pre-existing neurological conditions, such as epilepsy, may be more susceptible.
- A study analyzing EEG results from victims of COVID-19 found that 70% of patients exhibited "diffuse slowing" in the background electrical activity of the brain, which could be related to mental health issues like brain fog, experienced by some recovering patients.
- CBD, a compound used for managing various medical conditions and health and wellness concerns, shows potential in the study of coronavirus's impact on the brain, as future research could clarify its role in mitigating neurological disorders associated with COVID-19.
- As researchers continue to investigate the coronavirus's effects on the brain, they recommend employing a wider range of patients and additional brain imaging methods, like MRI or CT scans, to develop a more well-rounded understanding of the virus's influence on neurological disorders, mental health, and cognitive function.
