A groundbreaking study has found that Covid-19 lockdowns significantly accelerated the aging of adolescent girls’ brains more than boys, raising concerns about the long-term effects on their mental health and cognitive development. According to research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the brains of adolescent girls aged an average of 4.2 years during the pandemic, compared to just 1.4 years in boys.
Accelerated Brain Aging: What the Study Found
The research, which began in 2018 and involved 160 teens, examined how the brain develops under typical conditions. However, when the pandemic hit and social interactions were halted, the study pivoted to assess the effects of lockdowns on brain development. MRI scans from 2021 and 2022 revealed that cortical thinning—a natural process during adolescence—was dramatically accelerated in girls. This thinning was observed across multiple areas of the brain, including regions critical for social cognition, emotional processing, and language comprehension.
In contrast, boys only showed significant changes in the visual cortex, suggesting that the lockdowns had a more localized impact on their brain development.
Why Girls Were More Affected
The study suggests that the more pronounced aging in girls may be due to their increased reliance on social interactions during adolescence. Girls often depend on close-knit relationships to navigate their emotional and cognitive development. The sudden isolation imposed by the lockdowns removed these crucial social outlets, potentially triggering this accelerated aging.
Long-Term Implications
While the study points to accelerated brain aging, the long-term consequences remain unclear. Experts caution that this rapid aging may make adolescents—especially girls—more vulnerable to mental health issues and reduced cognitive flexibility in the future. Premature cortical thinning is associated with early-life stress and neuropsychiatric disorders, raising questions about how this could impact their learning and emotional regulation as they grow older.
Further research is needed to determine whether these changes can be reversed or mitigated through social re-engagement and therapeutic interventions. Experts like Prof. Patricia Kuhl highlight the importance of supporting teenagers’ mental health as they recover from the stress of the pandemic.
To learn more about the full study, check out the article from Nature.
