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Silva-Passadouro B, Tamasauskas A, Khoja O, Casson AJ, Delis I, Brown C, Sivan M. A systematic review of quantitative EEG findings in Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Long COVID. Clin Neurophysiol 2024; 163:209-222. [PMID: 38772083 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2024.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS), Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) and Long COVID (LC) are similar multisymptom clinical syndromes but with difference in dominant symptoms in each individual. There is existing and emerging literature on possible functional alterations of the central nervous system in these conditions. This review aims to synthesise and appraise the literature on resting-state quantitative EEG (qEEG) in FMS, ME/CFS and LC, drawing on previous research on FMS and ME/CFS to help understand neuropathophysiology of the new condition LC. A systematic search of MEDLINE, Embase, CINHAL, PsycINFO and Web of Science databases for articles published between December 1994 and September 2023 was performed. Out of the initial 2510 studies identified, 17 articles were retrieved that met all the predetermined selection criteria, particularly of assessing qEEG changes in one of the three conditions compared to healthy controls. All studies scored moderate to high quality on the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. There was a general trend for decreased low-frequency EEG band activity (delta, theta, and alpha) and increased high-frequency EEG beta activity in FMS, differing to that found in ME/CFS. The limited LC studies included in this review focused mainly on cognitive impairments and showed mixed findings not consistent with patterns observed in FMS and ME/CFS. Our findings suggest different patterns of qEEG brainwave activity in FMS and ME/CFS. Further research is required to explore whether there are phenotypes within LC that have EEG signatures similar to FMS or ME/CFS. This could inform identification of reliable diagnostic markers and possible targets for neuromodulation therapies tailored to each clinical syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bárbara Silva-Passadouro
- Leeds Institute of Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
| | - Arnas Tamasauskas
- Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Omar Khoja
- Leeds Institute of Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Alexander J Casson
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Ioannis Delis
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Christopher Brown
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Population Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Manoj Sivan
- Leeds Institute of Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK; National Demonstration Centre in Rehabilitation Medicine, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK
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Casula EP, Esposito R, Dezi S, Ortelli P, Sebastianelli L, Ferrazzoli D, Saltuari L, Pezzopane V, Borghi I, Rocchi L, Ajello V, Trinka E, Oliviero A, Koch G, Versace V. Reduced TMS-evoked EEG oscillatory activity in cortical motor regions in patients with post-COVID fatigue. Clin Neurophysiol 2024; 165:26-35. [PMID: 38943790 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2024.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/01/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Persistent fatigue is a major symptom of the so-called 'long-COVID syndrome', but the pathophysiological processes that cause it remain unclear. We hypothesized that fatigue after COVID-19 would be associated with altered cortical activity in premotor and motor regions. METHODS We used transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with EEG (TMS-EEG) to explore the neural oscillatory activity of the left primary motor area (l-M1) and supplementary motor area (SMA) in a group of sixteen post-COVID patients complaining of lingering fatigue as compared to a sample of age-matched healthy controls. Perceived fatigue was assessed with the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and Fatigue Rating Scale (FRS). RESULTS Post-COVID patients showed a remarkable reduction of beta frequency in both areas. Correlation analysis exploring linear relation between neurophysiological and clinical measures revealed a significant inverse correlation between the individual level of beta oscillations evoked by TMS of SMA with the individual scores in the FRS (r(15) = -0.596; p = 0.012). CONCLUSIONS Post-COVID fatigue is associated with a reduction of TMS-evoked beta oscillatory activity in SMA. SIGNIFICANCE TMS-EEG could be used to identify early alterations of cortical oscillatory activity that could be related to the COVID impact in central fatigue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elias P Casula
- Department of System Medicine, University of Tor Vergata, Via Cracovia 50, 00133, Rome, Italy; Experimental Neuropsychophysiology Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Via Ardeatina 354, 00179, Rome, Italy
| | - Romina Esposito
- Experimental Neuropsychophysiology Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Via Ardeatina 354, 00179, Rome, Italy
| | - Sabrina Dezi
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Vipiteno (SABES-ASDAA), Vipiteno-Sterzing, Italy, Teaching Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical Unversity (PMU), Salzburg, Austria; Teaching Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University (PMU), Salzburg, Austria
| | - Paola Ortelli
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Vipiteno (SABES-ASDAA), Vipiteno-Sterzing, Italy, Teaching Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical Unversity (PMU), Salzburg, Austria; Teaching Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University (PMU), Salzburg, Austria
| | - Luca Sebastianelli
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Vipiteno (SABES-ASDAA), Vipiteno-Sterzing, Italy, Teaching Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical Unversity (PMU), Salzburg, Austria; Teaching Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University (PMU), Salzburg, Austria
| | - Davide Ferrazzoli
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Vipiteno (SABES-ASDAA), Vipiteno-Sterzing, Italy, Teaching Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical Unversity (PMU), Salzburg, Austria; Teaching Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University (PMU), Salzburg, Austria
| | - Leopold Saltuari
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Vipiteno (SABES-ASDAA), Vipiteno-Sterzing, Italy, Teaching Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical Unversity (PMU), Salzburg, Austria; Teaching Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University (PMU), Salzburg, Austria
| | - Valentina Pezzopane
- Experimental Neuropsychophysiology Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Via Ardeatina 354, 00179, Rome, Italy
| | - Ilaria Borghi
- Experimental Neuropsychophysiology Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Via Ardeatina 354, 00179, Rome, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Rocchi
- Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Via Università 40, 09124 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Valentina Ajello
- Department of Cardiac Anesthesia, University of Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Eugen Trinka
- Department of Neurology, Neurocritical Care and Neurorehabilitation, Christian Doppler University Hospital, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paracelsus Medical University, Member of the European Reference Network EpiCARE, Salzburg, Ignaz-Harrer-Straße 79, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; Neuroscience Institute, Christian Doppler University Hospital, Paracelsus Medical University and Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Ignaz-Harrer-Straße 79, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; Karl Landsteiner Institute of Neurorehabilitation and Space Neurology, Julius Raab-Promenade 49/1, 3100 St. Pölten, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Antonio Oliviero
- FENNSI Group, Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos, SESCAM, FINCA DE, Carr. de la Peraleda, S/N, 45004 Toledo, Spain; Center for Clinical Neuroscience, Hospital Los Madroños, M-501 Km 17, 900 - 28690 Brunete, Spain
| | - Giacomo Koch
- Experimental Neuropsychophysiology Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Via Ardeatina 354, 00179, Rome, Italy; Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, Via Ludovico Ariosto 35, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Viviana Versace
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Vipiteno (SABES-ASDAA), Vipiteno-Sterzing, Italy, Teaching Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical Unversity (PMU), Salzburg, Austria; Teaching Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University (PMU), Salzburg, Austria; Department of Neurology, Neurocritical Care and Neurorehabilitation, Christian Doppler University Hospital, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paracelsus Medical University, Member of the European Reference Network EpiCARE, Salzburg, Ignaz-Harrer-Straße 79, 5020 Salzburg, Austria.
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Benis D, Voruz P, Chiuve SC, Garibotto V, Assal F, Krack P, Péron J, Fleury V. Electroencephalographic Abnormalities in a Patient Suffering from Long-Term Neuropsychological Complications following SARS-CoV-2 Infection. Case Rep Neurol 2024; 16:6-17. [PMID: 38179211 PMCID: PMC10764086 DOI: 10.1159/000535241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Emotional apathy has recently been identified as a common symptom of long COVID. While recent meta-analyses have demonstrated generalized EEG slowing with the emergence of delta rhythms in patients hospitalized for severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, no EEG study or dopamine transporter scintigraphy (DaTSCAN) has been performed in patients with long COVID presenting with apathy. The objective of this case report was to explore the pathophysiology of neuropsychological symptoms in long COVID. Case Presentation A 47-year-old patient who developed a long COVID with prominent apathy following an initially clinically mild SARS-CoV-2 infection underwent neuropsychological assessment, cerebral MRI, DaTSCAN, and resting-state high-density EEG 7 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. The EEG data were compared to those of 21 healthy participants. The patient presented with apathy, cognitive difficulties with dysexecutive syndrome, moderate attentional and verbal episodic memory disturbances, and resolution of premorbid mild gaming disorder, mild mood disturbances, and sleep disturbances. His MRI and DaTSCAN were unremarkable. EEG revealed a complex pattern of oscillatory abnormalities compared to the control group, with a strong increase in whole-scalp delta and beta band activity, as well as a decrease in alpha band activity. Overall, these effects were more prominent in the frontal-central-temporal region. Conclusion These results suggest widespread changes in EEG oscillatory patterns in a patient with long COVID characterized by neuropsychological complications with prominent apathy. Despite the inherent limitations of a case report, these results suggest dysfunction in the cortical networks involved in motivation and emotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damien Benis
- Neurology Department, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology Laboratory, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences and Swiss Centre for Affective Sciences, Neuroscience of Emotion and Affective Dynamics (NEAD) Laboratory, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Philippe Voruz
- Neurology Department, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology Laboratory, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences and Swiss Centre for Affective Sciences, Neuroscience of Emotion and Affective Dynamics (NEAD) Laboratory, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Valentina Garibotto
- Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Division, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Frédéric Assal
- Neurology Department, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Paul Krack
- Neurology Department, University Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Julie Péron
- Neurology Department, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology Laboratory, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Vanessa Fleury
- Neurology Department, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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