People who suffer from chronic blocked nose or sinusitis do not only struggle with stuffy nose and headaches but as well as keeping in focus and experiencing depression and other symptoms that imply the connection between the disease and the brain.
The new research from the University of Washington School of Medicine (UW Medicine), entitled "Association of Sinonasal Inflammation With Functional Brain Connectivity" published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, links sinus inflammation to the changes in functional brain activity, specifically the neural networks that are responsible for modulation of cognition, introspection, and response to stimuli.
"This is the first study that links chronic sinus inflammation with a neurobiological change," said lead author Dr. Aria Jafari, a surgeon and assistant professor of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
Dr. Jafari added that previous studies have shown that patients with sinusitis seek medical care because the disease is affecting their productivity, cognition, and they are feeling drowsy. All in all, chronic blocked nose has decreased their quality of life.
Chronic Sinusitis and Brain Fog
Using the brain scans data from a study cohort from the Human Connectome Project, the researchers were able to identify 22 people who have moderate to severe sinusitis and another 22 people who do not suffer from the disease.
According to Science Daily, functional MRI (fMRI) scans reveal that there is a decrease in functional brain activity in the neural networks in the prefrontal cortex, the area for rational thinking, cognition, attention, and problem-solving.
Moreover, they also found an increase in functional connectivity to two nodes of the default-mode network that is active during wakeful rest and mind-wandering and influences self-reference.
They also saw a decreased functional brain activity in the salience network that detects and integrates stimuli, communication, and social behavior.
Dr. Jafari said that the vast difference that they saw between the two groups showed that it was more significant in people with more severe sinusitis. The researchers concluded that these increases and decreases of functional brain connectivity might be behind the symptoms that people with chronic blocked noses often experience along with a stuffy nose and headaches.
Chronic Sinusitis Does Not Causes Changes in Brain Activity
According to ScienceAlert, the 22 subjects with chronic blocked nose did not show any noticeable signs of cognitive decline in tests, especially those 22-25 years old participants. Researchers believe that a longitudinal study could tell if cognitive decline might happen in later years.
"The subjective feelings of attention decline, difficulties to focus, or sleep disturbances that a person with sinus inflammation experiences might be associated with subtle changes in how brain regions controlling these functions communicate with one another," says Harvard University's otolaryngologist Kristina Simonyan.
As of now, treatments for chronic sinusitis could last for many years but it could also be alleviated with surgery. However, it still does not guarantee that it will not reoccur.
Researchers believe that the association of brain activity and the chronic blocked nose is strong enough to conduct further investigation on how brain activity changed after treatment.
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