Functional neurological disorders after COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 vaccines: a national multicentre observational study

New-onset anesthesia/paresthesia following the administration of COVID-19 vaccines in Quebec, Canada

INTRODUCTION

In Canada, anesthesia/paresthesia were the most frequently reported adverse events following immunization (AEFI) against SARS-CoV-2. This study aims to describe the frequency and characteristics of anesthesia/paresthesia cases temporally associated with a first or second dose of COVID-19 vaccines administered in Quebec, Canada.

METHODS

Cases were extracted among AEFI reports submitted to the passive surveillance system. Sociodemographic, vaccination and AEFI information were obtained from the immunization registry. Signs, symptoms and anatomical location were manually extracted from clinical narratives.

RESULTS

From December 13, 2020 to December 31, 2022, 15.2 million doses of vaccines were administered in Quebec. By July 1, 2022, 1024 cases of anesthesia/paresthesia following COVID-19 vaccination had been reported. The global reporting rate was 7.7 per 100,000 doses administered. Rates were higher with the first than the second dose (11.4 vs. 3.8 per 100,000 doses), and higher with ChAdOx1 than with mRNA vaccines Comirnaty™ (BNT-162b2, Pfizer BioNTech) or Spikevax™ (mRNA-1273, Moderna) (28.7 vs. 6.1 and 7.9, respectively). Rates were 3- to 4-times higher in women, with the highest rate ratios among those 18-49 years of age. Median time to onset was 24 h (IQR: 3-96). Paresthesia, hypoesthesia/anesthesia (83 %) were more common than dysesthesias (13 %). Symptoms were reported mostly in upper limbs (62 %), but also frequently in lower limbs (47 %) or the face (42 %). Most reported mild (41 %) or moderate (48 %) symptoms, with a median duration of 5 days (IQR: 2-15), although symptoms lasting 1-5 months (12 %) or over 6 months (1 %) were also reported.

CONCLUSION

Symptoms of anesthesia/paresthesia are commonly reported following the administration of several vaccines, including those against COVID-19. In most instances, symptoms occur shortly after vaccination, have a limited impact on daily activities, and resolve spontaneously within a month of onset. A small proportion of cases report sensory and/or motor symptom of longer duration, which remain undiagnosed following neurological investigations. Despite being a common occurrence, post-vaccination sensory disturbances remain a poorly understood phenomenon that warrants further study.

When It's Not Tics: Functional Tic-Like Behaviors

Functional tic-like behaviors (FTLBs) are a manifestation of functional neurologic disorder that can be mistaken for neurodevelopmental tic disorders like Tourette syndrome. Much information was gained about FTLBs because of an outbreak of FTLBs spreading among adolescents and young adults via social media during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. In comparison to neurodevelopmental tic disorders, FTLBs have an older age of onset, more abrupt symptom onset, and more complex tics as well as other features that would be atypical of Tourette syndrome. Although they do not respond well to standard treatment for neurodevelopmental tics, they are treatable with appropriate behavioral therapy.

[Update on the diagnosis and management of functional neurological disorders from Jean-Martin Charcot to 2024]

Functional neurological disorders (FND) represent a major clinical challenge, characterized by neurological symptoms without identifiable organic lesions. Since the initial descriptions by Jean-Martin Charcot in the 19th century, the understanding and management of FND have evolved considerably. This review aims to provide an up-to-date overview of current knowledge on the diagnosis and management of FND, integrating recent advances and multidisciplinary therapeutic approaches. The diagnosis of FND is based on specific positive clinical signs, rather than on the exclusion of other pathologies. Diagnostic criteria have been refined, promoting earlier recognition and better acceptance by patients. Psychiatric comorbidities, stress factors, and traumatic histories are frequently associated with FND, highlighting the importance of a holistic evaluation. The management of FND includes a multimodal approach, combining psychotherapy, physical rehabilitation, and targeted pharmacological interventions. The involvement of emerging technologies such as non-invasive brain stimulation and the use of artificial intelligence tools, opens up new perspectives in patient care. Finally, this review addresses the ongoing challenges related to stigma and the training of healthcare professionals, while proposing avenues for improving the quality of care provided to patients with FND.

SARS-CoV-2: pathogenesis, therapeutics, variants, and vaccines

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged in December 2019 with staggering economic fallout and human suffering. The unique structure of SARS-CoV-2 and its underlying pathogenic mechanism were responsible for the global pandemic. In addition to the direct damage caused by the virus, SARS-CoV-2 triggers an abnormal immune response leading to a cytokine storm, culminating in acute respiratory distress syndrome and other fatal diseases that pose a significant challenge to clinicians. Therefore, potential treatments should focus not only on eliminating the virus but also on alleviating or controlling acute immune/inflammatory responses. Current management strategies for COVID-19 include preventative measures and supportive care, while the role of the host immune/inflammatory response in disease progression has largely been overlooked. Understanding the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and its receptors, as well as the underlying pathogenesis, has proven to be helpful for disease prevention, early recognition of disease progression, vaccine development, and interventions aimed at reducing immunopathology have been shown to reduce adverse clinical outcomes and improve prognosis. Moreover, several key mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 genome sequence result in an enhanced binding affinity to the host cell receptor, or produce immune escape, leading to either increased virus transmissibility or virulence of variants that carry these mutations. This review characterizes the structural features of SARS-CoV-2, its variants, and their interaction with the immune system, emphasizing the role of dysfunctional immune responses and cytokine storm in disease progression. Additionally, potential therapeutic options are reviewed, providing critical insights into disease management, exploring effective approaches to deal with the public health crises caused by SARS-CoV-2.

Emotional functioning in long COVID: Comparison to post-concussion syndrome using the Personality Assessment Inventory

Objective: Recent studies on Long COVID found that patients report prominent emotional distress and significant correlations between distress and cognitive performance have been identified, raising the question of how to manage or treat these issues. To understand psychological functioning in Long COVID further, this study examined personality responses on the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) to compare psychological functioning in a Long COVID group with a post-concussion syndrome (PCS) group, a syndrome with a significant psychological component. Participants and methods: Participants included 201 consecutive Long COVID outpatients (Mean age = 48.87 years, mean education = 14.82, 71.6% Female, 82.6% White) and a comparison group of 102 consecutively referred PCS outpatients (Mean age = 46.08, mean education = 14.17, 63.7% Female, 88.2% White). Effect sizes and t-tests were calculated using the PAI validity, clinical, interpersonal, and treatment consideration scales as well as clinical subscales. Results: The results replicated earlier findings on the PAI in Long COVID by demonstrating that both Long COVID and PCS groups had the highest mean elevations on SOM and DEP scales but no statistically significant between group differences in mean scale elevations. Results support similarities in psychological functioning between Long COVID and PCS patients emphasizing the importance of evaluating psychological functioning in neuropsychological evaluations for these populations. Further, results suggest that psychological treatment strategies for PCS patients may be helpful for Long COVID patients, but more research is needed.

Neurocognitive Impairment in Post-COVID-19 Condition in Adults: Narrative Review of the Current Literature

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus has, up to the time of this article, resulted in >770 million cases of COVID-19 illness worldwide, and approximately 7 million deaths, including >1.1 million in the United States. Although defined as a respiratory virus, early in the pandemic, it became apparent that considerable numbers of people recovering from COVID-19 illness experienced persistence or new onset of multi-system health problems, including neurologic and cognitive and behavioral health concerns. Persistent multi-system health problems are defined as Post-COVID-19 Condition (PCC), Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19, or Long COVID. A significant number of those with PCC report cognitive problems. This paper reviews the current state of scientific knowledge on persisting cognitive symptoms in adults following COVID-19 illness. A brief history is provided of the emergence of concerns about persisting cognitive problems following COVID-19 illness and the definition of PCC. Methodologic factors that complicate clear understanding of PCC are reviewed. The review then examines research on patterns of cognitive impairment that have been found, factors that may contribute to increased risk, behavioral health variables, and interventions being used to ameliorate persisting symptoms. Finally, recommendations are made about ways neuropsychologists can improve the quality of existing research.

Traumatic Brain Injury in the Long-COVID Era

Major determinants of the biological background or reserve, such as age, biological sex, comorbidities (diabetes, hypertension, obesity, etc.), and medications (e.g., anticoagulants), are known to affect outcome after traumatic brain injury (TBI). With the unparalleled data richness of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; ∼375,000 and counting!) as well as the chronic form, long-COVID, also called post-acute sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), publications (∼30,000 and counting) covering virtually every aspect of the diseases, pathomechanisms, biomarkers, disease phases, symptomatology, etc., have provided a unique opportunity to better understand and appreciate the holistic nature of diseases, interconnectivity between organ systems, and importance of biological background in modifying disease trajectories and affecting outcomes. Such a holistic approach is badly needed to better understand TBI-induced conditions in their totality. Here, I briefly review what is known about long-COVID/PASC, its underlying-suspected-pathologies, the pathobiological changes induced by TBI, in other words, the TBI endophenotypes, discuss the intersection of long-COVID/PASC and TBI-induced pathobiologies, and how by considering some of the known factors affecting the person's biological background and the inclusion of mechanistic molecular biomarkers can help to improve the clinical management of TBI patients.

Clinical characteristics of motor functional neurological disorder manifesting as limb weakness after vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019: A case series

Background

The characteristics of functional limb weakness (FLW) as one of the manifestations of functional neurological disorder after vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remain controversial.

Methods

In this descriptive case series, we aimed to elucidate the characteristics of Japanese patients with FLW who claimed muscle weakness after COVID-19 vaccination among patients who visited our outpatient clinic between 1 June 2021 and 31 December 2022.

Results

Nine patients were diagnosed with FLW (mean age: 30.8 years), including two men and seven women. Seven patients were vaccinated with the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine and two with the mRNA-1273 Moderna vaccine. All patients demonstrated various positive signs for FLW. Magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography indicated no abnormality that could explain their symptoms. At the time of the clinic visit, five patients were treated for psychiatric disorders, including depression, insomnia, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and Asperger's syndrome. Muscle weakness spread to the limbs beyond the vaccinated arm in seven patients.

Conclusions

We describe the basic characteristics of FLW in Japanese patients after COVID-19 vaccination. Further recognition of these characteristics could aid the diagnosis of FLW by physicians allowing them to support these patients effectively.

Neurological Disorders following COVID-19 Vaccination

Nowadays, people all over the world have been receiving different types of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines. While their effectiveness has been well recognized, various post-vaccination disorders are not fully understood. In this review, we discuss neurological disorders related to vascular, immune, infectious, and functional factors following COVID-19 vaccination, and attempt to provide neuroscientists, psychiatrists, and vaccination staff with a reference for the diagnosis and treatment of these diseases. These disorders may present as a recurrence of previous neurological disorders or new-onset diseases. Their incidence rate, host and vaccine characteristics, clinical manifestations, treatment, and prognosis differ significantly. The pathogenesis of many of them remains unclear, and further studies are needed to provide more evidence. The incidence rate of severe neurological disorders is relatively low, most of which are reversible or treatable. Therefore, the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risk of COVID-19 infection, especially among fragile populations.