Brain's Frontal Lobes Electrical Activity Potentially Affected by COVID-19
Approximately 15-25% of severe COVID-19 patients may experience neurological symptoms, such as headaches, confusion, and seizures. These symptoms prompt doctors to refer patients for electroencephalography (EEG) tests, which monitor the electrical activity of the brain.
A review of EEG results from 617 patients revealed that around a third of the abnormal findings were in the frontal lobes of the brain. Dr. Zulfi Haneef, assistant professor of neurology/neurophysiology at Baylor College of Medicine, suggests that this may be due to the virus entering the body through the nose, where the frontal lobes are located next to the entry point.
The researchers found that the extent of EEG abnormalities positively correlated with the severity of the disease and the presence of preexisting neurological conditions, such as epilepsy. They published their findings in the journal Seizure: European Journal of Epilepsy.
Reports of long-term health issues following COVID-19 recovery, commonly referred to as "long COVID," have surfaced. One such issue is "brain fog." While a recent unpublished study suggests that the infection may age people cognitively by around a decade, experts note that this does not prove long-term cognitive decline. However, it does highlight concerns about the possible lasting effects on the brain.
The study's findings add to these concerns, as they indicate EEG abnormalities associated with the neurological symptoms of COVID-19 infection. Dr. Haneef notes that while some patients show improvements in follow-up EEG tests, there may be long-term issues.
The analysis had limitations, including a lack of access to raw data and the possibility of skewed results due to doctors disproportionately performing EEGs on patients with neurological symptoms. Additionally, anti-seizure medications may have obscured signs of seizures in some EEG traces.
[1] COVID-19 infection can lead to identifiable EEG abnormalities in the frontal lobes due to viral-associated injury in this brain region, contributing to neurocognitive impairments seen in some patients recovering from the disease.[2] Apart from the hippocampus, the temporal and frontal lobe regions are preferentially injured by COVID-19, correlating with neurocognitive symptoms such as impaired executive function, attention, and arousal—all functions mediated by the frontal cortex. EEG monitoring is therefore useful in detecting these abnormalities and tracking changes in brain activity linked to COVID-19-related neurological damage.
[1] The coronavirus, in its severity, can cause identifiable Electroencephalography (EEG) abnormalities in the frontal lobes, a region which may be susceptible to viral-associated injury, leading to neurocognitive impairments in some COVID-19 patients.
[2] The frontal, temporal, and hippocampus regions have shown preference for injury in COVID-19, correlating with neurocognitive symptoms such as impaired executive function, attention, and arousal—all functions mediated by the frontal cortex.
[3] In the context of health-and-wellness, these neurological disorders, including seizures and mental-health issues like "brain fog," are potentially long-term health concerns for those recovering from COVID-19.
[4] In addition to monitoring medical-conditions directly related to the virus, the importance of considering and addressing potential neurological complications, such as issues affecting mental-health and neurological-disorders like epilepsy, cannot be overstated.
