A new study from the University of Washington has revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic may have prematurely aged teenage brains, with young girls appearing to be most affected. The research sheds light on the hidden neurological impact of the pandemic on adolescents, whose brains developed at an unusually fast rate during the extended period of isolation.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted daily routines and social interactions for people across the globe, but for teenagers—who rely heavily on social environments for emotional and cognitive development—the lockdowns were especially challenging. Researchers now believe that the stress of these lockdowns may have accelerated brain maturation in teens, resulting in changes that resemble premature aging.
“We were shocked to discover that after the pandemic, the cortical thickness of these adolescents was significantly lower than what we had seen in pre-pandemic models,” said Neva Corrigan, the lead author of the study and a research scientist at the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences at the University of Washington. “This was particularly pronounced in young girls, where the thinning was evident in more regions of the brain than in boys.”
The researchers initially began their study in 2018, tracking brain changes in 160 adolescents aged 9 to 17. However, the pandemic forced them to delay follow-up testing until 2021. During this time, their research focus shifted to investigate the potential effects of COVID-19 on brain development.
Using brain scans, the team measured the thinning of the cerebral cortex—the outer layer of the brain that is essential for cognitive functions like memory, attention, and thought processing. Their findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, revealed that the cortex thinned more rapidly in adolescents who lived through the pandemic, with girls experiencing an accelerated aging of 4.2 years, compared to 1.4 years for boys.
Cortical thinning is a natural part of the aging process and typically happens throughout adolescence. However, the researchers noted that the thinning they observed was much faster than expected for teens of this age group. “The pandemic seems to have triggered stress-related brain changes that sped up the usual aging process,” Corrigan explained.
One key limitation of the study is its relatively small sample size, along with the lack of detailed information about participants’ behavior and lifestyle during the pandemic. Additionally, it remains unclear how much contracting COVID-19 may have contributed to these brain changes. However, past studies have shown that accelerated cortical thinning is often linked to childhood trauma, stress, and neglect—leading researchers to hypothesize that the emotional strain of the lockdowns played a major role.
Patricia Kuhl, the senior author of the study, emphasized that more research is needed to fully understand the long-term impact of these brain changes. “Once the cortex thins, it is unlikely to return to its previous thickness. However, it is possible that brain maturation may slow down once teenagers return to regular social interactions,” she said. “On the other hand, it’s also possible that the accelerated aging process will persist.”
These findings add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that the pandemic has had far-reaching effects on young people’s mental and neurological health. Accelerated cortical thinning has been associated with an increased risk of developing neuropsychiatric conditions, such as depression and anxiety. For many adolescents, these changes could heighten their vulnerability to mental health disorders.
“This study underscores how lockdowns brought about consequences we weren’t fully prepared for,” Corrigan noted. “We already know that the academic performance of many students has declined, but the rise in neuropsychiatric disorders like anxiety and depression highlights the need for long-term mental health support in our communities—especially for teens who lived through the pandemic.”
As scientists continue to explore the pandemic’s impact on brain development, it becomes increasingly clear that mental health resources for adolescents should be prioritized. The effects of the pandemic may persist for years, influencing not only academic outcomes but also the emotional and cognitive well-being of an entire generation.
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