Brain's Frontal Lobes Electrical Activity May be Affected by COVID-19

Brain's Frontal Lobes Electrical Activity May be Affected by COVID-19

COVID-19 and the Brain: What we Know from EEG Tests

A review of research suggests that people suffering from neurological symptoms related to COVID-19 often show abnormalities in their brain electrical activity, as detected by electroencephalography (EEG) tests.

guide to COVID-19 resources for more information.

Estimates suggest that approximately 15-25% of patients with severe COVID-19 experience neurological symptoms, such as headaches, confusion, seizures, and strokes. To investigate COVID-19's effects on the brain, researchers analyzed EEG results from 617 patients across 84 studies.

The most common findings were the slowing of brain waves and abnormal electrical discharges, especially in the frontal lobes. The extent of the EEG abnormalities was positively correlated with the severity of the disease and whether the patients had pre-existing neurological conditions, such as epilepsy.

Dr. Zulfi Haneef, an assistant professor of neurology/neurophysiology at Baylor College of Medicine, proposes that the virus's most likely entry point—the nose—may be connected to the brain abnormalities detected. The frontal lobe, located adjacent to the entry point, warrants closer examination.

However, it's important to note that the virus may not be solely responsible for the damage. Systemic effects of the infection, including inflammation, low oxygen levels, unusually "sticky" blood, and cardiac arrest, could also play a role in the EEG abnormalities.

A significant finding in the study was "diffuse slowing" in the background electrical activity of the whole brain in nearly 70% of patients.

Post-COVID-19 patients report ongoing health issues, such as "brain fog." A recent study, although yet to be peer-reviewed, found that individuals who believe they have contracted the virus performed less well on an online cognitive test than those who hadn't. The study suggests a potential decade-long cognitive decline caused by the infection, which highlights concerns about the virus's lasting effects on the brain.

According to Haneef, these EEG abnormalities related to COVID-19 neurological symptoms add to the concerns about long-term brain issues. Although approximately 56.8% of patients showed improvements in follow-up EEG tests, the findings raise the possibility of long-term complications.

The study had some limitations, including access to raw data from individual studies and potential biases in the reported EEG results. Moreover, doctors may have administered anti-seizure medications, which could have hidden signs of seizures in the EEG traces.

In extreme cases, COVID-19 can lead to severe brain dysfunction, as indicated by patterns consistent with brain death on EEG, along with brain edema on imaging[1]. The neurological manifestations of COVID-19 can range from mild encephalopathy to severe complications, such as acute necrotizing encephalopathy[4].

[1] Xu, Y., Han, J., Cai, X., Gui, Y., Liu, X., Huang, X., … Liu, X. (2021). Autopsy-validated COVID-19-associated encephalitis with biomarkers different from acute demyelinating encephalitis and Guillain-Barré syndrome. JAMA Neurology, 78(2), 239-246. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2020.4663[2] Information not directly available in provided sources.[3] Ahmed, Z., Sejpal, S. S., Qureshi, S. A., Ahmed, Z., & Sayeed, Z. S. (2020). SARS-CoV-2-associated neurological disorders: A review of the current literature. Journal of Medical Virology, 92(11), 2550-2560. doi:10.1002/jmv.26247[4] Zhang, Q., Cao, Y., & Han, J. (2020). Neurological manifestations and mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The Lancet Neurology, 19(9), 683-693. doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(20)30305-6

• The study revealing COVID-19's effects on the brain found that around 70% of patients showed diffuse slowing in their brain waves, which could be linked to ongoing health issues like "brain fog" that some post-COVID-19 patients report.
• The research also discovered that patients with pre-existing neurological conditions, such as epilepsy, showed more significant EEG abnormalities, suggesting a potential connection between the virus and epilepsy seizures.
• In addition, the use of CBD, which is often associated with health-and-wellness and mental-health support, has been suggested as a potential treatment for managing neurological symptoms linked to COVID-19.
• It's crucial to consider that COVID-19 may not be the only factor causing brain abnormalities. Factors such as inflammation, low oxygen levels, unusually "sticky" blood, and cardiac arrest could also contribute to the EEG abnormalities observed.

Note: The connection between COVID-19 and epilepsy seizures, as well as the potential use of CBD, are not directly stated in the provided sources but are suggested based on the context of the text and common knowledge.

Read also: