Brain's Frontal Lobes' Electrical Activity Affected by COVID-19
In a recent review of research, scientists claim that abnormalities in the frontal lobe of the brain, detected through electroencephalography (EEG) tests, are prevalent among COVID-19 patients exhibiting neurological symptoms.
According to data, around 15-25% of patients with severe COVID-19 can experience neurological symptoms, such as headaches, confusion, strokes, and seizures. These individuals may be referred for EEG tests to monitor the electrical activity in the brain.
To investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the brain, scientists analyzed EEG results from 617 patients, reported in 84 different studies. The study, published in the "Seizure: European Journal of Epilepsy," found that the frontal lobes of the brain were frequently affected, with roughly one-third of abnormalities observed in this area.
According to Dr. Zulfi Haneef, an assistant professor of neurology/neurophysiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and one of the study's authors, the proximity of the frontal lobe to the virus's suspected entry point in the nose may contribute to its susceptibility.
The findings suggest that EEG tests should be conducted on a more extensive range of patients, as well as other brain imaging techniques such as MRI or CT scans. However, the researchers note that although COVID-19 may influence EEG abnormalities in certain regions of the brain, systemic effects of the infection—such as inflammation, low oxygen levels, and cardiac arrest—may also play a role.
Almost 70% of patients showed diffuse slowing in the background electrical activity of their whole brains. The study's findings add to concerns about the potential long-term effects of COVID-19 on the brain, raising the possibility of neurological complications that persist after recovery. On a positive note, nearly 57% of patients who underwent follow-up EEG tests showed signs of improvement.
The study highlighted some limitations, including a lack of access to raw data from individual studies and potential biases due to the proportionally higher number of EEGs conducted on patients with neurological symptoms. Moreover, doctors may have administered antiseizure medications to some patients, potentially obscuring signs of seizures in their EEG traces.
Individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 and experience ongoing health problems, collectively referred to as long COVID, often report "brain fog." A recent study, yet to be peer-reviewed, reported that individuals who claimed to have contracted the virus performed less effectively on an online cognitive test than those who did not believe they had the infection. Although the study does not prove a direct causal relationship between the virus and long-term cognitive decline, it underscores growing concerns about the lingering effects of the illness on the brain.
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- COVID-19 patients showing neurological symptoms often experience seizures, as highlighted by abnormalities in their frontal lobe, detected through EEG tests.
- While the study found that COVID-19 may influence EEG abnormalities in certain regions of the brain, it also implies that systemic effects, such as inflammation and low oxygen levels, may contribute to these changes.
- Long COVID, which involves ongoing health problems for individuals who have recovered from COVID-19, is often associated with "brain fog," and a recent study suggests a possible link between the virus and long-term cognitive decline, although further research is needed to establish a direct causal relationship.
