Neurological Disorders

COVID-19 may have been viewed and treated primarily as a respiratory illness, but it is more sinister and pervasive in its impact on the human body as it may affect the brain thereby accelerate or trigger neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, according to a doctor. Describing the pandemic as 'a beast with a thousand heads', Dr Yatish Agarwal, senior professor, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, says the effect of the COVID-19 extends far beyond the nose, throat, and lungs and may infect the brain, the most vital bodily organ. Vast clinical studies reveal that neurological complications occur in 36-84 per cent of COVID-19 patients. Strangely, many people who experience neurologic symptoms that linger after the disease are less than 50 years old and were healthy prior to the infection, he points out in an exclusive article for Manorama Yearbook 2023. Panic attacks, obsessive compulsive disorder and depression can occur among

Clinical trial randomisation is the process of assigning patients by chance to groups that receive different treatments

People infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus are at increased risk of developing a range of neurological conditions in the first year after the infection, according to a large study conducted in the US. Such complications include strokes, cognitive and memory problems, depression, anxiety and migraine headaches, the researchers said. The researchers at Washington University School of Medicine also found that the post-COVID brain is associated with movement disorders, from tremors and involuntary muscle contractions to epileptic seizures, hearing and vision abnormalities. The infection is also associated with balance and coordination difficulties as well as other symptoms similar to what is experienced with Parkinson's disease, they said. "Our study provides a comprehensive assessment of the long-term neurologic consequences of COVID-19," said Ziyad Al-Aly from Washington University. "The results show the devastating long-term effects of COVID-19. These are part and parcel of long COV

Combining research with cutting-edge technology, a Delhi-based hospital on Sunday launched a "brain mapping device" and claimed it was the first-of-its-kind gadget in the country. With the advent of such personalised brain mapping, treatment for brain tumour and other brain surgeries have become much safer and due to the accuracy, damage to important brain areas can be avoided, it said in a statement. "In a first-of-its-kind technology to be launched, with combination of decades of research with cutting edge technology, IBS Hospitals today launched first brain mapping device connectomics/ quicktome in the country," the private hospital claimed. Quicktome uses sophisticated algorithms to analyse millions of data points and build a brain map personalised to each patient from a standard, non-invasive MRI scan. The maps, which doctors can view on their computers, offer a level of anatomical detail typically not available in a clinical setting, allowing surgeons to incorporate advance

Covid-19 positive outpatients are at a far increased risk of neurodegenerative disorders compared with those who tested negative for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to a study

The app uses a near-infrared camera, which is built into newer smartphones for facial recognition, along with a regular selfie camera to track how a person's pupil changes in size

Obesity, high BP and air pollution are major causes of non-communicable neurological disorders. India does not have enough neurologists to cater to the growing disease burden

For the study, published in the journal The Lancet Planetary Health, the research team analysed the link between fine particulate (PM2.5) pollution and neurodegenerative diseases in the US

Research suggests that the virus may gain access to the brain via the forebrain's olfactory bulb, which is important for the processing of smell. Loss of smell is a symptom in many Covid-19 patients

Jogi's neurological activity is "almost nil" and he is on ventilator support, said doctors

The research shows that using the legs, sends signals to the brain that are vital for the production of healthy neural cells, essential for the brain and nervous system

Neurological diseases are widespread both in high-income and low-income countries

Compared to other therapeutic fields, neurological diseases are under-researched