A study suggests that the brains of adolescents scanned following the end of the pandemic are several years older than those of adolescents evaluated before the pandemic. Previously, such accelerated changes in brain age had only been observed in children facing chronic adversity, such as violence and family dysfunction.
The pandemic of Covid-19 has caused significant disruption and stress for many of us, sometimes even altering our mental health. But its effects on the brain and mental health of neurologically developing children and adolescents might be even worse. The set of restrictions imposed on them (school closures, academic and social disruptions, reduced access to school mental health services) seem to have worked in this direction.
Researchers at Stanford University wanted to visualize changes in the structure of teenage brains, before the pandemic and following the end of pandemic-related shutdowns. These changes are natural: in early adolescence, children experience increased growth of the hippocampus and amygdala, areas of the brain that respectively control access to certain memories and help modulate emotions.
Results similar to young people facing adversity
Research conducted before the pandemic has shown that exposure to adversity early in life – such as abuse, neglect and family dysfunction – is associated with maladaptive neurodevelopmental outcomes, which indicate accelerated maturation or aging of the brain. For example, the thickness of the tissues of the cortex, which decreases with age, is even more reduced in young people with a history of early adversity. Until now, these were the only observed cases of brain age changes.
The new study published in Biological Psychiatry now suggests that pandemic-related stressors have “aged” adolescent brains, compared to those of pre-pandemic adolescents. ” We found that young people assessed following the pandemic had stopped had problems with Mental Health internalization, reduced cortical thickness, greater hippocampal and amygdala volume, and older brain age “, report the researchers of the study. The latter compared the MRI scans of 81 adolescents before the pandemic, with those of 82 other adolescents who experienced the end of the pandemic. Groups of adolescents were matched on age, sex, puberty, early life stress exposure, and socioeconomic status.
What long-term impact?
On the other hand, it is not known if these changes in the brain are permanent, nor the impact that this might have in the long term. “ L’adolescence is already a time of rapid brain reorganization, and it’s already linked to increased rates of mental health problems, depression, and risky behaviors », said co-author Jonas Miller. ” The brains of children who are 16 or 17 today may not be comparable to those of their counterparts just a few years ago. »
The researchers plan to continue following these teens to observe potential long-term brain changes. They would also like to compare the brain structure of those who have been infected with the virus and those who have not, to identify any differences.