Some of the EEG alterations found in COVID-19 patients may indicate damage to the brain that might not be able to be repaired after recovering from the disease.
"As we know, the brain is an organ that cannot regenerate, so if you have any damage it will more than likely be permanent or you will not fully recover," Haneef said.
Haneef found the location of the abnormal activity interesting.
"We know that the most likely entry point for the virus is the nose, so there seems to be a connection between the part of the brain that is located directly next to that entry point," he said. "Another interesting observation was that the average age of those affected was 61, one-third were female and two-thirds were males. This suggests that brain involvement in COVID-19 could be more common in older males. More research is needed but these findings show us these are areas to focus on as we move forward."
It may not always be the virus acting directly on the brain causing the abnormal EEG readings, Haneef said. It could be the oxygen intake, heart problems related to COVID-19 or another type of side effect, which is why he says that comprehensive patient care should include more imaging of the brain or EEG testing as necessary.
"These findings tell us that we need to try EEG on a wider range of patients, as well as other types of brain imaging, such as MRI or CT scans, that will give us a closer look at the frontal lobe," Haneef said. "A lot of people think they will get the illness, get well and everything will go back to normal, but these findings tell us that there might be long-term issues, which is something we have suspected and now we are finding more evidence to back that up."
