"Adolescents Who Experienced COVID-19 Lockdowns Underwent Brain Aging"

Female students advance by 4.2 years, male students by 1.2 years

A study has found that lockdown measures during the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated brain aging in adolescents.

[Image source=Pixabay]

On the 14th (local time), foreign media including Fortune reported that a research team led by Professor Patricia Cool from the Learning and Brain Science Institute at the University of Washington found that brain maturation in adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated by 1.2 years in males and 4.2 years in females. The researchers analyzed the cerebral cortex thickness by conducting MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans in 2021 on the brains of 160 adolescents aged 9 to 17 who had participated in a 2018 study.

The cerebral cortex is responsible for language, long-term memory, perception, and judgment. The cerebral cortex naturally thins with age, and stress, depression, and anxiety are known to accelerate the thinning process.

The study found that during the COVID-19 lockdown period, the cerebral cortex of all adolescents thinned much faster than expected. The researchers analyzed that the stress experienced during the pandemic lockdown affected the brains of adolescents. This effect was particularly pronounced in females. In males, only the visual cortex in the occipital lobe thinned, whereas in females, the cerebral cortex thinned across both the left and right hemispheres.

The researchers explained, "This appears to be due to differences in the importance of social interactions between female and male students. Boys tend to gather for sports or physical activities, while girls rely more on social interactions, especially conversations about problems with friends, as a way to relieve stress. The pandemic isolated female students." They added, "The pandemic was a test showing how vulnerable the adolescent brain is. This study raises new questions about what it means to accelerate the brain aging process."

This is similar to the results of a Stanford University study published in 2022. That study also showed a similar thinning of cortical thickness in adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reported that about 20% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 experienced depression in 2022.

Meanwhile, this study was published in the international academic journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).