Brain's Frontal Lobes Electrical Activity Potentially Affected by COVID-19
COVID-19's impact on the brain has been a hot topic of discussion, with numerous studies pointing towards neurological complications. In a review of research, scientists from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh analyzed EEG results from 617 patients with COVID-19.
Most of these patients (61.3 years old on average) were males, and the study found that around a third of the abnormalities identified were in the frontal lobes of the brain, leading many to believe there's a connection between the virus's entry point in the nose and the frontal lobes.
While these findings are intriguing, it's essential to recognize that the virus might not be solely responsible for the damage. Systemic effects of the infection, such as inflammation, low oxygen levels, sticky blood, and cardiac arrest, may play a role in EEG abnormalities that extend beyond the frontal lobes.
Some recovered COVID-19 patients have reported ongoing health issues referred to as "long COVID," with one of the most common being "brain fog." A recent study on MedRxiv suggests that the infection could age people cognitively by around a decade. While experts caution that this study doesn't provide definitive proof, the findings do raise concerns about potential lasting effects on the brain.
The researchers emphasize that these EEG abnormalities associated with COVID-19's neurological symptoms underscore those concerns. However, they also report that 56.8% of patients with follow-up EEG tests showed improvements.
Despite the study's limitations, such as limited access to raw data and the potential skewing of results due to the overrepresentation of patients with neurological symptoms, the findings contribute to growing evidence about the potential long-term effects of COVID-19 on the brain. Stay tuned for the latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19.
- The coronavirus, COVID-19, has been linked to neurological complications in the brain, with studies indicating potential damage, as shown in a research analysis of Electroencephalogram (EEG) results from 617 COVID-19 patients.
- Interestingly, around a third of the abnormalities identified in the study were in the frontal lobes of the brain, which has led to speculation about a possible connection between the virus's entry point in the nose and the frontal lobes.
- As research continues, it's crucial to consider that the virus might not be the sole cause of the damage, with systemic effects like inflammation, low oxygen levels, and cardiac arrest possibly contributing to EEG abnormalities that extend beyond the frontal lobes, affecting other parts of the brain and leading to health-and-wellness concerns such as epilepsy seizures and other neurological disorders.
