Prolonged Neuropsychological Deficits, Central Nervous System Involvement, and Brain Stem Affection After COVID-19—A Case Series
Objective: The affection of both the peripheral (PNS) and central nervous system (CNS) by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been assumed to play a direct role in the respiratory failure of patients with Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) through affection of medullar...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Neurology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2020.574004/full |
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| author | Stefan Jun Groiss Stefan Jun Groiss Carolin Balloff Carolin Balloff Saskia Elben Saskia Elben Timo Brandenburger Tomke Müttel Detlef Kindgen-Milles Christian Vollmer Torsten Feldt Anselm Kunstein Björn-Erik Ole Jensen Hans-Peter Hartung Alfons Schnitzler Alfons Schnitzler Philipp Albrecht |
| author_facet | Stefan Jun Groiss Stefan Jun Groiss Carolin Balloff Carolin Balloff Saskia Elben Saskia Elben Timo Brandenburger Tomke Müttel Detlef Kindgen-Milles Christian Vollmer Torsten Feldt Anselm Kunstein Björn-Erik Ole Jensen Hans-Peter Hartung Alfons Schnitzler Alfons Schnitzler Philipp Albrecht |
| author_sort | Stefan Jun Groiss |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective: The affection of both the peripheral (PNS) and central nervous system (CNS) by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been assumed to play a direct role in the respiratory failure of patients with Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) through affection of medullary cardiorespiratory centers resulting in neurological complications and sequelae.Methods: We used a multimodal electrophysiological approach combined with neuropsychological investigations to study functional alteration of both the PNS and CNS in four patients with severe COVID-19.Results: We found electrophysiological evidence for affection of both the PNS and CNS, and particularly affection of brain stem function. Furthermore, our neuropsychological investigations provide evidence of marked impairment of cognition independent of delirium, and outlasting the duration of acute infection with SARS-CoV-2.Conclusion: This case series provides first direct electrophysiological evidence for functional brain stem involvement in COVID-19 patients without evident morphological changes supporting the notion of the brain stem contributing to respiratory failure and thus promoting severe courses of the disease. Moreover, sustained neuropsychological sequelae in these patients may be of particular psychosocial and possibly also economic relevance for society. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T00:28:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-530ca2bed03c4c06b0d3d06428fede65 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-2295 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T00:28:25Z |
| publishDate | 2020-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Neurology |
| spelling | doaj.art-530ca2bed03c4c06b0d3d06428fede652022-12-22T00:44:33ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neurology1664-22952020-11-011110.3389/fneur.2020.574004574004Prolonged Neuropsychological Deficits, Central Nervous System Involvement, and Brain Stem Affection After COVID-19—A Case SeriesStefan Jun Groiss0Stefan Jun Groiss1Carolin Balloff2Carolin Balloff3Saskia Elben4Saskia Elben5Timo Brandenburger6Tomke Müttel7Detlef Kindgen-Milles8Christian Vollmer9Torsten Feldt10Anselm Kunstein11Björn-Erik Ole Jensen12Hans-Peter Hartung13Alfons Schnitzler14Alfons Schnitzler15Philipp Albrecht16Department of Neurology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, GermanyInstitute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, GermanyDepartment of Neurology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, GermanyInstitute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, GermanyDepartment of Neurology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, GermanyInstitute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, GermanyDepartment of Anesthesiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, GermanyDepartment of Neurology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, GermanyDepartment of Anesthesiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, GermanyDepartment of Anesthesiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, GermanyDepartment of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, GermanyDepartment of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, GermanyDepartment of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, GermanyDepartment of Neurology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, GermanyDepartment of Neurology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, GermanyInstitute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, GermanyDepartment of Neurology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, GermanyObjective: The affection of both the peripheral (PNS) and central nervous system (CNS) by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been assumed to play a direct role in the respiratory failure of patients with Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) through affection of medullary cardiorespiratory centers resulting in neurological complications and sequelae.Methods: We used a multimodal electrophysiological approach combined with neuropsychological investigations to study functional alteration of both the PNS and CNS in four patients with severe COVID-19.Results: We found electrophysiological evidence for affection of both the PNS and CNS, and particularly affection of brain stem function. Furthermore, our neuropsychological investigations provide evidence of marked impairment of cognition independent of delirium, and outlasting the duration of acute infection with SARS-CoV-2.Conclusion: This case series provides first direct electrophysiological evidence for functional brain stem involvement in COVID-19 patients without evident morphological changes supporting the notion of the brain stem contributing to respiratory failure and thus promoting severe courses of the disease. Moreover, sustained neuropsychological sequelae in these patients may be of particular psychosocial and possibly also economic relevance for society.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2020.574004/fullCOVID-19SARS-CoV-2electrophysiologycognitionbrain stem |
| spellingShingle | Stefan Jun Groiss Stefan Jun Groiss Carolin Balloff Carolin Balloff Saskia Elben Saskia Elben Timo Brandenburger Tomke Müttel Detlef Kindgen-Milles Christian Vollmer Torsten Feldt Anselm Kunstein Björn-Erik Ole Jensen Hans-Peter Hartung Alfons Schnitzler Alfons Schnitzler Philipp Albrecht Prolonged Neuropsychological Deficits, Central Nervous System Involvement, and Brain Stem Affection After COVID-19—A Case Series Frontiers in Neurology COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 electrophysiology cognition brain stem |
| title | Prolonged Neuropsychological Deficits, Central Nervous System Involvement, and Brain Stem Affection After COVID-19—A Case Series |
| title_full | Prolonged Neuropsychological Deficits, Central Nervous System Involvement, and Brain Stem Affection After COVID-19—A Case Series |
| title_fullStr | Prolonged Neuropsychological Deficits, Central Nervous System Involvement, and Brain Stem Affection After COVID-19—A Case Series |
| title_full_unstemmed | Prolonged Neuropsychological Deficits, Central Nervous System Involvement, and Brain Stem Affection After COVID-19—A Case Series |
| title_short | Prolonged Neuropsychological Deficits, Central Nervous System Involvement, and Brain Stem Affection After COVID-19—A Case Series |
| title_sort | prolonged neuropsychological deficits central nervous system involvement and brain stem affection after covid 19 a case series |
| topic | COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 electrophysiology cognition brain stem |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2020.574004/full |
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