New research found that teens’ brains “aged” during the COVID-19 lockdowns due to the loss of social interaction. Girls were the most impacted.
COVID-19 as a virus has wreaked havoc in many ways, causing long-term symptoms like shortness of breath, trouble sleeping, and brain fog. However, the global pandemic and its strict lockdowns have also left lasting effects—especially on teens.
A new study published on Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences assessed the mental health impacts that followed the pandemic’s social isolation. Disruptions to daily routines have led to eating disorders, anxiety, and depression, among other issues in adolescents.
“The pandemic was dramatic and unexpected, of course, but dramatic and catastrophic in a way not only for physical health but mental health,” said Patricia Kuhl, lead researcher and co-director of the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences at the University of Washington.
Researchers measured the thickness of the cerebral cortex to understand how the lockdowns impacted brain functions like reasoning and decision-making. In doing so, they discovered that teen boys’ brains prematurely aged 1.4 years while teen girls’ brains prematurely aged 4.2 years.
This accelerated brain maturation is often linked to an increased risk for the development of neuropsychiatric and behavioral disorders, according to researchers.
“We report that the lockdown measures enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in unusually accelerated brain maturation in adolescents and that this accelerated maturation was much more pronounced in females than in males,” the study said. “These findings indicate greater vulnerability of the female brain, as compared to the male brain, to the lifestyle changes resulting from the pandemic lockdowns.”
This is likely because girls generally rely more heavily on their personal connections to sustain them through hardships and self-discovery, Kuhl said.
The findings demonstrate the need for monitoring teen health post-pandemic. Because adolescence is a crucial time for emotional and self-development, such disruptions can really impact how people progress into adulthood.
Thankfully, biologically speaking, teens are also resilient in nature, and with the right guidance and support, they should recover from the loss of social interactions throughout the pandemic.
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