Brain's Frontal Lobes Electrical Activity Disrupted by COVID-19
A recent review of previously published research has shed some light on the connection between neurological issues experienced by patients with severe COVID-19 and abnormalities found in the frontal lobe of the brain using electroencephalography (EEG) tests.
Neurological Symptoms in COVID-19 Patients
Approximately 15-25% of patients with severe COVID-19 may develop neurological symptoms such as headaches, confusion, delirium, impaired consciousness, seizures, and strokes. To get a better understanding of how the virus affects the brain, researchers analyzed EEG results from 617 patients reported in 84 different studies.
EEG Abnormalities in COVID-19 Patients
The team found that around a third of the abnormal EEG findings were located in the frontal lobes of the brain. The most common findings were the slowing of brain waves and abnormal electrical discharges.
The link between the virus and the frontal lobe abnormalities seems to be stronger in patients with pre-existing neurological conditions such as epilepsy, and as the severity of the disease increases.
However, the research team notes that the virus may not be directly responsible for all the damage. Systemic effects of the infection, such as inflammation, low oxygen levels, unusually "sticky" blood, and cardiac arrest, may play a role in EEG abnormalities that extend beyond the frontal lobes.
Long-term Impacts on the Brain
Recovered COVID-19 patients have reported lasting health problems, now referred to as long COVID. Among these is brain fog. A recent study uploaded to the preprint server MedRxiv 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 had contracted the virus.
While this study does not conclusively prove that the infection caused long-term cognitive decline, it does raise concerns about potential lasting effects on the brain. "The EEG abnormalities associated with the neurological symptoms of COVID-19 infection add to these concerns," says Dr. Zulfi Haneef, assistant professor of neurology/neurophysiology at Baylor College of Medicine.
More Research Needed
On the positive side, follow-up EEG tests showed improvements in 56.8% of patients. However, the study had several limitations, including the difficulty in gaining access to raw data from individual studies, the possibility that many normal EEGs were not reported, and the use of anti-seizure medications that may have obscured signs of seizures in EEG traces.
Further research focusing on EEG data from COVID-19 patients would be necessary to directly address the relationship between COVID-19 and frontal lobe abnormalities as indicated by EEG tests. Such studies would need to analyze specific patterns or changes in EEG readings that correlate with frontal lobe function post-COVID-19 infection.
Enrichment Data:
- Neurocognitive Impairment and COVID-19: COVID-19 has been associated with neurocognitive deficits, which could imply potential abnormalities in brain function, including the frontal lobe. The severity of COVID-19 correlates with the prevalence of neurocognitive symptoms.
- Blood-Brain Barrier Breakdown: Long COVID has been linked to a breakdown of the blood-brain barrier, which could lead to neurological symptoms. However, this does not specifically address EEG findings or frontal lobe abnormalities.
- EEG and Stress Detection: EEG can be used to detect stress levels, which might indirectly relate to COVID-19 induced stress or anxiety. However, EEG findings specific to COVID-19 are not detailed here.
- Patients with both COVID-19 and pre-existing neurological conditions like epilepsy may experience stronger links between the virus and frontal lobe abnormalities, as suggested by EEG tests.
- Long COVID, the persisting health issues following recovery from COVID-19, could include brain fog—a condition that may be related to long-term cognitive decline, as suggested by a recent study.
- While CBD, a compound known for its potential benefits in health and wellness, including mental health and neurological disorders, has not been directly studied in connection with COVID-19, it might offer potential therapeutic opportunities for managing some of the neurological symptoms associated with COVID-19.
- Given the limitations of the current research on EEG data from COVID-19 patients, more in-depth studies focusing on EEG patterns or changes post-COVID-19 infection that correlate with frontal lobe function could provide a clearer understanding of the relationship between the virus and frontal lobe abnormalities.
