EEG Microstate Analysis and the EEG Inverse Problem Solution as a Tool for Diagnosing Cognitive Dysfunctions in Individuals Who Have Had a Mild Form of COVID-19.

Abstract

The term “postcovid syndrome” is firmly entrenched in medical terminology, however, many aspects of its clinical manifestations are not well understood. The aim of this work was to find the causes of the development of cognitive dysfunctions in individuals who had a mild form of SARS-CoV-2 using high-density EEG technology and solving an inverse neurophysiological problem. A dynamic study was conducted of 38 people who had COVID-19 and returned to work. Neurophysiological studies were carried out using the EGI-GES-300 system (128 channels). The descriptive characteristics of electroencephalograms were built on the method of studying the spectral density of the EEG signal on the surface of the scalp, and the dynamic characteristics of the signal were studied by fixing EEG microstates, using the method of D. Lehmann and T. Koenig (2018). In the study, a relatively new diagnostic technique for studying cognitive impairments based on the analysis of EEG microstates was implemented, which made it possible to identify signs of functional restructuring of the neuronal macronetworks of the brain and trace the characteristic adaptation of a person during the period of convalescence. The results obtained made it possible to detect a violation of the implementation of the speech function, as a violation of the perception system (ventral information flow system), as well as the connection between the fields of Wernicke’s center and Broca’s center (dorsal information flow system), leading to the development of communicative dysfunctions that cause characteristic clinical symptoms due to impaired perception of new information and difficulties in implementing the solution. Thus, the survey showed that SARS-Co-V2 causes objective changes in the functional activity of the brain, which are manifested by the syndrome of cognitive dysfunction and require the development of more sensitive clinical tests than currently used.