Brain's Frontal Lobes Electrical Activity Potentially Affected by COVID-19
Brain Abnormalities in COVID-19 Patients: A Look at EEG Tests
Yo, check this out. Seems like mild to severe brain abnormalities are pretty common among folks who catch COVID and experience neurological symptoms. This is based on a recent review that analyzed over 600 patients' EEG results from 84 different studies.
Now, roughly 15-25% of patients with severe COVID-19 might experience these neurological issues, such as headaches, confusion, seizures, and strokes. That's why doctors might refer you for an EEG test, you know, that thing where they stick electrodes on your scalp to monitor your brain's electrical activity.
So, what's up with the brain and COVID? Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh have been digging into this. The most common findings they discovered were slowed brain waves and abnormal electrical discharges, often centering on the frontal lobes.
Fun fact: since the virus probably enters through your nose, it seems these frontal lobes—located right next to the entry point—might be more vulnerable. As the assistant professor of neurology/neurophysiology at Baylor, Dr. Zulfi Haneef, puts it, "These findings suggest we need to widen the scope for EEG tests and other brain imaging methods, like MRIs or CT scans, so we can get a better look at the frontal lobe."
However, it's important to note that the virus might not be the only culprit. Factors like inflammation, low oxygen levels, sticky blood, and cardiac arrest could also contribute to those EEG abnormalities.
Now, some folks who've recovered from COVID report ongoing health issues, like "brain fog." A recent unpublished study on preprint servers found that these individuals performed worse on a cognitive test than those who didn't have the virus. The researchers suggested the infection might age people cognitively by about a decade.
But hold up, Dr. Haneef says there's even more reason to worry. "If there are EEG abnormalities linked to the neurological symptoms of COVID-19, it adds to our concerns about long-term impacts on the brain."
On the bright side, over half of the folks who had follow-up EEG tests showed improvements. But there are limitations to the analysis, like access to raw data, the possibility that doctors may have failed to report normal EEGs, and the use of anti-seizure medication in some cases.
So, while we've got a long way to go in understanding how COVID affects our grey matter, it's crucial to keep a close eye on it to guide better clinical strategies. Keep an eye on our coronavirus hub for the latest on COVID-19 and stay smart out there! 🤓💡🦠💊🌍🤝👩🔬🧪🧠💪🔬🔧🔩🔓🔮🌍🎯️💡🤓
- The review of over 600 patients' EEG results revealed that about 15-25% of severe COVID-19 patients may experience neurological symptoms such as seizures, headaches, confusion, and strokes.
- These neurological symptoms could prompt doctors to refer patients for an EEG test, where electrodes are attached to the scalp to monitor brain electrical activity.
- Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh found that the most common brain abnormalities in COVID patients were slowed brain waves and abnormal electrical discharges, often forming around the frontal lobes.
- These frontal lobes, located near the nose which is the virus's entry point, might be more vulnerable to the virus's effects.
- Dr. Zulfi Haneef, an assistant professor of neurology/neurophysiology at Baylor, suggests broadening EEG tests and other brain imaging methods like MRIs or CT scans to better understand the frontal lobe's condition.
- People recovering from COVID-19 have reported ongoing health issues like "brain fog," and a recent study found that they performed worse on a cognitive test than non-infected individuals, suggesting the virus might lead to cognitive aging.
