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Updated: Jun 30, 2025
Microstate and Omega Complexity Analyses of the Resting-state Electroencephalography
Published on: June 15, 2018
Resting-state EEG rhythms are abnormal in post COVID-19 patients with brain fog without cognitive and affective
Claudio Babiloni1, Elio Gentilini Cacciola2, Federico Tucci3
1Department of Physiology and Pharmacology "Erspamer," Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; Hospital San Raffaele Cassino, Cassino, FR, Italy.
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.
