Negative effects of the pandemic Children and teens The effects of this on the brain – academic, social and otherwise – have been shown in numerous studies, and now the latest long-term effect appears to be accelerated aging of the young brain.
A team of researchers from the University of Washington studied 160 adolescents aged 9 to 17. They had collected the data in 2018 for a separate study on changes in brain structure during adolescence, but covid pandemic That research was interrupted.
“When the pandemic began, we started wondering what brain measurements would allow us to estimate how pandemic lockdowns impacted the brain,” lead author Neva Corrigan, Ph.D., a research scientist at the University of Washington, said in a press release.
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“What did it mean for our teenagers to be at home instead of in their social groups — not in school, not playing sports, not moving around?”
Researchers found that the pandemic is causing teens’ brains to age faster than normal.
Several studies have shown the negative impacts of the pandemic on the mental health of children and adolescents. (iStock)
due to lifestyle changes COVID-19 pandemic “Lockdown has affected brain development during adolescence, causing the brain to mature much faster than normal,” Corrigan told Fox News Digital via email.
“This accelerated maturation was more widespread in women’s brains than in men’s, and was also larger in magnitude.”
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On average, young women’s brains aged 4.2 years faster than normal, and men’s brains aged 1.4 years faster than normal.
The researchers found that 30 regions of the female brain show accelerated aging, while only two regions of the male brain show accelerated aging.
These findings were published Sept. 9 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Researchers found that the pandemic is causing teens’ brains to age faster than normal. (iStock)
Corrigan said researchers believe the acceleration in brain aging was due to the stress associated with restrictive measures taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“The accelerated growth of the cerebral cortex during development has been well established previous research “It has to do with long-term stress,” he said.
Recommendations for parents
According to Corrigan, this study highlights the fact that the adolescent brain is highly sensitive to stressors that arise in their environment.
“We recommend that parents of children who have been teens during the pandemic stay connected with, and keep an eye on, their teens. depression and anxiety“Because accelerated cortical thinning increases the risk of developing these and other neuropsychiatric disorders,” he advised.
“We also believe that parents should be mindful that their teen’s social life is very important to their brain development, and (they) should encourage healthy activities with peers.”
Corrigan said that while these findings “seem worrisome,” it’s not known whether the accelerated aging will have long-term effects. brain development During adolescence.
“It’s unclear whether the brain lining of these teens that showed rapid maturation will return to a more appropriate thickness for their age over time, or whether these effects will be permanent,” he told Fox News Digital.
One researcher said it was not known whether accelerated aging would have long-term effects on teens’ ongoing brain development throughout their lives. (iStock)
He also explained that “cortical thinning” is a natural process of aging and that it actually enables the brain to function more efficiently.
“It’s not clear that all the consequences of accelerated maturation are negative,” Corrigan said.
Potential Limitations
The researchers acknowledged several limitations of the study, the first of which was its small sample size.
“Although we collected data from 160 teens before the lockdown, and 130 teens after the lockdown ended, larger samples are always better when doing research,” Corrigan told Fox News Digital.
“What did it mean for our teenagers to be at home instead of in their social groups — not in school, not playing sports, not moving around?”
“In addition, since the study was not initially designed to account for the effects of the COVID pandemic, we did not collect the type of behavioral measures that would have allowed us to determine what is really going on. Lifestyle disruptions “Stress or stressors associated with lockdown may be the biggest contributor to the stress experienced by adolescents,” he said.
The researchers only studied a limited age range, so they couldn’t determine whether the findings apply to other age groups.
On average, young women’s brains aged 4.2 years faster than normal, and men’s brains aged 1.4 years faster than normal. (iStock)
“Finally, we do not know whether infection with the COVID-19 virus contributed to these findings, although we found no reports of gender disparities in virus infection in the community from which our study sample was drawn,” Corrigan said.
The ‘downrange effect’
Florida neurologist Dr. Brett Osborne was not involved in the study but commented on its “harmful consequences.” Pandemic-Related Stress For teenagers.
One researcher said, “We recommend that parents of children who have been teens during the pandemic stay connected with their teens and also monitor for symptoms of depression and anxiety.” (iStock)
“High levels of stress, often associated with increased cortisol, can wreak havoc on the brain,” he told Fox News Digital.
Cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone, is normally secreted by the adrenal glands during acute stress, but it can be harmful if present at high levels for prolonged periods of time, Osborne explained.
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“This long-term increase is particularly harmful to brain structures such as the hippocampus (an area related to memory) and the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for high-level cognitive functions such as decision-making and social behavior.”
“Although the pandemic is over, this is not the end.”
According to Osborne, prolonged exposure to high cortisol levels can negatively impact memory, emotional regulation, impulse control, focus, and concentration.
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“Over time, these changes may predispose individuals to Mental health disorders “Problems like depression and anxiety, which are already present due to high cortisol levels, are further aggravated,” he said.
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Overall, Osborne said, this study highlights “another broad impact” of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Although the pandemic is over, this is not the end,” the doctor said.
