Relying on MRI data, researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle confirmed that age-related thinning of the cerebral cortex in adolescents accelerated after lockdowns and the effect was greater on female brains than males.
A pioneering research paper in 2022 provided the first evidence that in adolescence, there is a critical period of brain “plasticity” (moldability) in the frontal brain area, which is the area responsible for thinking, decision-making, short-term memory, and control of social behavior.
Did “Corona lockdowns” accelerate harmful aging in teenage brains?
To answer the question, Science Alert explained that it must be realized that aging and growth are two sides of the same coin and that they are closely linked.
On the one hand, the Aging Biological is the gradual deterioration in the functions of the body’s cells, tissues and systems. Growth, on the other hand, is the process by which we reach maturity.
Adverse circumstances in critical periods of our lives, especially adolescence, are very likely to affect the course of our aging.
It is plausible, then, that the “accelerated maturation” of the cerebral cortex in adolescents is an age-related change that affects the rate of aging. Brain Throughout life.
How strong is the evidence that accelerated harmful brain aging in adolescents is linked to lockdown during the Corona period?
According to the study, one of the cornerstones of brain health is “Social cognition“, which means the brain’s ability to interact socially with others.
Interference in cognition may lead to potentially devastating health consequences, especially among adolescents who depend on social interaction for normal cognitive development.
At the same time, longer adolescence It is also a period for the emergence of many neurological and psychological disorders, including anxiety and depression, where they occur Females Younger people are more likely to suffer from anxiety and mood disorders Male.
Devastating consequences
According to the study, it appears that socially restrictive lockdown measures have had a significant negative impact on the mental health of adolescents, especially girls.
She adds: “There is no doubt that the closures due to the pandemic resulted in… Health consequences Devastating for a lot of people.”
She continued: “The biology of brain development in the adolescents included in the study was also damaged by these precautionary measures over a period of time corona“.
