Brain's frontal lobes can experience electrical disruptions due to COVID-19
*COVID-19 and Your Brain: What the Numbers Show*
Yo, let's dive into the murky, fascinating world of COVID-19 and its effect on the brain! We all know the virus has been kicking our butts left, right, and center, but what about the less obvious symptoms? Well, sit back and strap in, 'cause we're about to learn some wild sh*t.
First off, it's estimated that around 15-25% of patients with severe COVID-19 could experience some sort of brain-related symptoms, like headaches, confusion, seizures, and even strokes. That's a considerable chunk of people, and these numbers are by no means small fry.
To better understand the impact of COVID-19 on the noggin, researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh took a deep dive into the electrical activities of the brains of 617 patients using electroencephalography (EEG) tests.
Now, if you're wondering what the hell an EEG is, it's this kick-ass test that gets up close and personal with your brain by placing a bunch of sweet electrodes on your scalp. It helps the docs keep tabs on the brain's electrical activity, which can reveal all sorts of cool stuff.
In the study, the researchers discovered that the most common findings were slowing of brain waves and some seriously abnormal electrical discharges. What's especially interesting is that the extent of these EEG abnormalities seemed to line up pretty neatly with the severity of the disease and any preexisting neurological conditions a patient might have.
But here's where things get even more heads-up: the abnormalities were most commonly found in the frontal lobes—the part of the brain that's located right next to the virus's favorite entry pathway, the nose. So, it looks like there's a strong reason to take a closer look at the frontal lobe using other imaging methods like MRI or CT scans.
Before you start freaking out, it's important to note that the virus probably isn't solely to blame for all the brain damage. It could also be linked to systemic effects of the infection, such as inflammation, low oxygen levels, and funky blood clotting issues.
Now, let's talk about brain fog. If you've recovered from COVID-19, you might have experienced some serious brain issues, also known as long COVID. Symptoms include what the cool kids are now calling brain fog.
Recent studies suggest that individuals who've had COVID-19 might perform worse on cognitive tests compared to those who haven't contracted the virus. Some researchers even think the infection could age your brain by about a decade. Here's the thing, though: these studies haven't undergone the peer-review process yet, so we can't be completely certain about their findings.
On a brighter note, almost 60% of patients who had follow-up EEG tests showed some improvement!
Now, like any good research, there are some limitations to this study. For example, the team didn't have access to raw data from every study, and they might have missed quite a few normal EEGs. On top of that, they might have performed more EEGs on patients with neurological symptoms than on others, potentially skewing the results.
Finally, doctors frequently gave anti-seizure medications to patients they suspected were having seizures, which could have obscured any signs of seizures in EEG traces. So, there's definitely more work to be done in this area to get a clearer picture of how COVID-19 messes with our noggins.
Long story short, if you want to stay up-to-date on all the latest COVID-19 developments, hit up our coronavirus hub. And if you want to learn more about these fascinating findings, keep an eye out for more research in the future! After all, our brains require all the help they can get in these crazy times.
[1] Discrete white matter lesions in confirmed COVID-19 patients: A neuroimaging case series. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry. 24 Sept. 2020.
[2] Structural and functional brain changes in COVID-19 survivors: A longitudinal multi-center study. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry. 28 Nov. 2021.
[3] The novel coronavirus and the central nervous system. Central Nervous System Disease. 20 Aug. 2020.
[4] EEG biomarkers in major depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders. 15 Nov. 2019.
- Approximately 15-25% of patients with severe COVID-19 may experience brain-related symptoms, such as seizures and strokes.
- Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh conducted electroencephalography (EEG) tests on 617 patients with COVID-19 to study its impact on the brain.
- The study revealed that the most common findings were slowing of brain waves and abnormal electrical discharges, and these abnormalities were most commonly found in the frontal lobes.
- Abnormal brain activity was associated with the severity of COVID-19 and any preexisting neurological conditions a patient might have.
- Recent studies suggest that individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 may perform worse on cognitive tests and that the infection could potentially age the brain by a decade.
- Around 60% of patients who had follow-up EEG tests showed some improvement.
