Brain's frontal lobes' electrical activity may be affected by COVID-19 infection.
A Brain's Tale: COVID-19's Impact on Our Gray Matter
Consider this a rundown of the latest research suggesting that the coronavirus may have some serious brain-twisting effects.
First off, here's a bit of context - around one in six patients with COVID-19 in severe condition could experience neurological symptoms like headaches, confusion, and seizures, among others. Doctors might suggest an EEG test to get a closer look at the patient's gray matter.
Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh analyzed EEG results from 617 patients across 84 studies. The median age of these patients was 61.3, and two-thirds were males. The most common findings? Slowing brain waves and abnormal electrical discharges, particularly in the frontal lobes.
The severity of the disease and any pre-existing neurological conditions, such as epilepsy, seemed to amplify these EEG abnormalities. But hold up, unable to determine whether this was the virus at work or other systemic effects like inflammation and cardiac arrest.
The oil-tanker-slow background electrical activity of the whole brain was spotted in almost 70% of patients.
Now, let's talk long-haul COVID - the pesky health problems that stretch long after recovering from the virus, including the dreaded 'brain fog.' Recent research hints at cognitive aging by a decade for those with a history of COVID-19. Mind you, this research has yet to undergo proper peer-review, so take it with a grain of salt.
But, guess what? Those frontal lobe EEG abnormalities that we talked about? Lending more weight to those long-term brain concerns. Dr. Zulfi Haneef, one of the study's co-authors, chimes in: "We can't say for certain with this data, but it does seem like there could be some lasting damage."
On the brighter side, almost 57% of patients showed improvements in follow-up EEG tests. Keep in mind that there were several limitations, such as lack of access to raw data from individual studies, possible under-reporting of normal EEGs, and the potential oversaturation of patients with neurological symptoms in the EEG testing process.
So, there you have it - the latest lowdown on the coronavirus's not-so-friendly interaction with our precious brains. Researchers are calling for more comprehensive EEG testing and brain imaging, such as MRIs and CT scans, to unravel the mysteries of the human brain and its tangled relationship with COVID-19.
- In severe COVID-19 cases, patients may exhibit neurological symptoms such as headaches, confusion, seizures, and others, which could prompt doctors to perform EEG tests to examine the patient's brain activity.
- Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh analyzed EEG results from 617 patients across 84 studies and found that the most common findings were slowing brain waves and abnormal electrical discharges, mainly in the frontal lobes.
- The severity of the disease and pre-existing neurological conditions, like epilepsy, appear to intensify these EEG abnormalities, but it's not yet clear whether the virus itself or other systemic effects like inflammation and cardiac arrest are responsible.
- Nearly 70% of patients showed oil-tanker-slow background electrical activity in their brains.
- Long-haul COVID-19, which includes persistent health problems like 'brain fog,' might lead to cognitive aging by about a decade in patients with a history of the virus, according to recent research, but this finding is still pending further peer-review.
- Despite these concerns, almost 57% of patients showed improvements in follow-up EEG tests, but limitations such as lack of access to raw data, under-reporting of normal EEGs, and potential oversaturation of patients with neurological symptoms should be considered in the interpretation of the test results.
