A new study suggests that the pandemic may have had a significant impact on our brains, whether or not we contracted COVID-19.
Leveraging an extensive database of brain scans, British researchers say that people’s brains showed accelerated aging during 2021 and 2022, including signs of shrinkage.
While people who were infected with COVID also showed cognitive decline, like slower processing speed, the study was notable because it said even the non-infected were likely to experience harm to their brain.
While the study did not delve into the exact causes of the accelerated aging, the study’s first author, Ali-Reza Mohammadi-Nejad, a neuroimaging researcher at the University of Nottingham, theorizes that it may have been the result of stress and other factors.
“But it is likely that the cumulative experience of the pandemic—including psychological stress, social isolation, disruptions in daily life, reduced activity and wellness—contributed to the observed changes… In this sense, the pandemic period itself appears to have left a mark on our brains, even in the absence of infection,” said Mohammadi-Nejad, per NBC.
The researchers found that males and “those from more socioeconomically deprived backgrounds” experienced the most significant brain aging. Overall, the pandemic was thought to be linked to a 5.5-month acceleration in the aging process.
This is not the first time researchers have reached similar conclusions.
Last year, a previous study found that teenagers experienced dramatic brain aging during the pandemic. Notably, the study suggested that girls’ brains aged 4.2 years faster and boys’ brains aged 1.3 years faster, on average.
The latest study does not indicate whether the structural changes identified in individuals who have never contracted COVID will result in any noticeable changes in brain function. Nor does the study confirm whether the physical changes will persist over the long term, says Adam Brickman, a professor of neuropsychology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, who was not involved in the study.