Comparative EEG study of neurodynamics upon olfactory stimulation in COVID-19 patients

TL;DR

This study explores brain activity in people who had severe or moderate COVID-19 using EEG to understand how their brains respond to smells compared to healthy individuals.

Contribution

The study introduces the use of detrended moving average (DMA) analysis to explore cortical neurodynamics in post-COVID patients.

Findings

Group S showed elevated β-band PSD and α-scaling exponent values, indicating rigid and hyperexcitable brain dynamics.

Group M showed partially recovered oscillatory patterns but lacked significant stimulus-driven modulation.

Group H maintained typical EEG responses with limited olfactory reactivity.

Abstract

Cognitive disturbances following COVID-19 have been widely reported, yet the neural dynamics underpinning such phenomena remain incompletely understood. This exploratory study examined cortical neurodynamics using electroencephalographic (EEG) analysis in three groups: individuals with severe COVID-19 (Group S), individuals recovered from moderate COVID-19 (Group M), and healthy controls (Group H). EEG recordings were obtained during the resting state and exposure to three odorants—ammonia (trigeminal), isoamyl acetate (olfactory), and mountain pine (mixed)—to assess reactivity under different sensory conditions. Power Spectral Density (PSD) and detrended moving average (DMA) analyses were applied to quantify both spectral power and long-range temporal correlations, respectively. Group S showed consistently elevated β-band PSD and α-scaling exponent values across all conditions, indicative of globally rigid and hyperexcitable dynamics. Group M exhibited partially recovered oscillatory patterns, including α3 enhancements, without statistically significant stimulus-driven modulation. Group H maintained physiologically typical EEG responses with limited olfactory reactivity. While these results suggest differential patterns of neurodynamic adaptation and rigidity among groups, interpretations regarding cognitive status remain tentative due to the absence of behavioral or neuropsychological testing. The findings underscore the utility of DMA as a complementary EEG analysis tool and provide a basis for hypothesis-driven research on post-COVID cortical reorganization. Future studies incorporating direct cognitive measures are essential to validate EEG-based biomarkers of brain function.