Study shows COVID-19 lockdown prematurely aged teenagers' brains by up to four years

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Students still struggling with learning loss or other negative mental health effects from the COVID-19 pandemic could be linked to their brains prematurely aging.

In 2018, scientists at the University of Washington started studying the brain structure of 160 teenagers through brain scans, but the pandemic put their original plans on hold. In 2021, when they resumed scanning, they pivoted to studying how the pandemic and isolation of lockdown impacted the teens' brains.

Researchers looked specifically at the thinning of the cerebral cortex—something that occurs naturally with age. The cerebral cortex is the outer tissue of the brain, and it plays a major role in high-level functions like reasoning and decision-making.

The brain scans showed more thinning than expected over the three years between scans.

The boys' brains prematurely aged by 1.4 years, while the girls' brains aged by 4.2 years, according to the study. The difference could be related to a higher importance of social interaction for girls versus boys, a researcher involved said.

While the cortex does not grow back and continues to shrink over time, the loss is not necessarily permanent if students' social interactions and connections recovered since the pandemic.