tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Clin Neurophysiol
. 2024 Mar 6:161:159-172.
doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2024.02.034. Online ahead of print. Resting-state EEG rhythms are abnormal in post COVID-19 patients with brain fog without cognitive and affective disorders
Claudio Babiloni[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Elio Gentilini Cacciola[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Federico Tucci[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Paolo Vassalini[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Agnese Chilovi[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Dharmendra Jakhar[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Andreea Maria Musat[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Marco Salvatore[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Andrea Soricelli[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Fabrizio Stocchi[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Laura Vacca[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Raffaele Ferri[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Valentina Catania[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Claudio Mastroianni[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Gabriella D'Ettorre[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Giuseppe Noce[SUP] 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Objectives: Several persons experiencing post-covid-19 (post-COVID) with "brain fog" (e.g., fatigue, cognitive and psychiatric disorders, etc.) show abnormal resting-state electroencephalographic (rsEEG) rhythms reflecting a vigilance dysfunction. Here, we tested the hypothesis that in those post-COVID persons, abnormal rsEEG rhythms may occur even when cognitive and psychiatric disorders are absent.
Methods: The experiments were performed on post-COVID participants about one year after hospitalization for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Inclusion criteria included a "brain fog" claim, no pre-infection, and actual organic chronic disease. Matched controls (no COVID) were also enrolled. All participants underwent clinical/neuropsychological assessment (including fatigue assessment) and rsEEG recordings. The eLORETA freeware estimated regional rsEEG cortical sources at individual delta (<4 Hz), theta (4-7 Hz), and alpha (8-13 Hz) bands. Beta (14-30 Hz) and gamma (30-40 Hz) bands were pre-fixed.
Results: More than 90% of all post-COVID participants showed no cognitive or psychiatric disorders, and 75% showed ≥ 2 fatigue symptoms. The post-COVID group globally presented lower posterior rsEEG alpha source activities than the Control group. This effect was more significant in the long COVID-19 patients with ≥ 2 fatigue symptoms.
Conclusions: In post-COVID patients with no chronic diseases and cognitive/psychiatric disorders, "brain fog" can be associated with abnormal posterior rsEEG alpha rhythms and subjective fatigue.
Significance: These abnormalities may be related to vigilance and allostatic dysfunctions.
Keywords: Brain fog; Low-resolution brain electromagnetic source tomography (LORETA); Post-COVID-19; Resting state EEG Rhythms.
. 2024 Mar 6:161:159-172.
doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2024.02.034. Online ahead of print. Resting-state EEG rhythms are abnormal in post COVID-19 patients with brain fog without cognitive and affective disorders
Claudio Babiloni[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Elio Gentilini Cacciola[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Federico Tucci[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Paolo Vassalini[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Agnese Chilovi[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Dharmendra Jakhar[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Andreea Maria Musat[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Marco Salvatore[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Andrea Soricelli[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Fabrizio Stocchi[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Laura Vacca[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Raffaele Ferri[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Valentina Catania[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Claudio Mastroianni[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Gabriella D'Ettorre[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Giuseppe Noce[SUP] 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 38492271
- DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2024.02.034
Objectives: Several persons experiencing post-covid-19 (post-COVID) with "brain fog" (e.g., fatigue, cognitive and psychiatric disorders, etc.) show abnormal resting-state electroencephalographic (rsEEG) rhythms reflecting a vigilance dysfunction. Here, we tested the hypothesis that in those post-COVID persons, abnormal rsEEG rhythms may occur even when cognitive and psychiatric disorders are absent.
Methods: The experiments were performed on post-COVID participants about one year after hospitalization for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Inclusion criteria included a "brain fog" claim, no pre-infection, and actual organic chronic disease. Matched controls (no COVID) were also enrolled. All participants underwent clinical/neuropsychological assessment (including fatigue assessment) and rsEEG recordings. The eLORETA freeware estimated regional rsEEG cortical sources at individual delta (<4 Hz), theta (4-7 Hz), and alpha (8-13 Hz) bands. Beta (14-30 Hz) and gamma (30-40 Hz) bands were pre-fixed.
Results: More than 90% of all post-COVID participants showed no cognitive or psychiatric disorders, and 75% showed ≥ 2 fatigue symptoms. The post-COVID group globally presented lower posterior rsEEG alpha source activities than the Control group. This effect was more significant in the long COVID-19 patients with ≥ 2 fatigue symptoms.
Conclusions: In post-COVID patients with no chronic diseases and cognitive/psychiatric disorders, "brain fog" can be associated with abnormal posterior rsEEG alpha rhythms and subjective fatigue.
Significance: These abnormalities may be related to vigilance and allostatic dysfunctions.
Keywords: Brain fog; Low-resolution brain electromagnetic source tomography (LORETA); Post-COVID-19; Resting state EEG Rhythms.