Teenage brains aged faster during the COVID-19 pandemic, with girls most impacted.
New research from the University of Washington found the pandemic resulted in unusually accelerated brain maturation in adolescents.
Study author Professor Patricia Kuhl said the maturation was more pronounced in girls.
Dr Kuhl said when measured in terms of the number of years of accelerated brain development, the mean acceleration was 4.2 years in females and 1.4 years in males.
“We think of the COVID-19 pandemic as a health crisis, but we know that it produced other profound changes in our lives, especially for teenagers.”
She said it’s been well-documented that COVID lockdowns, school closures and disruption of daily routines and social activities had a negative impact on the mental health of adolescents.
“Adolescence, the period of transition between childhood and adulthood, is marked by dramatic changes in emotional, behavioural and social development.
“It’s also a time when a sense of self-identity, self-confidence and self-control are developed.”
She said the pandemic reduced social interaction for teenagers and led to documented reports of anxiety, depression and stress, especially for girls.
The fast-tracked ageing of the brain had added another dimension to that.
Dr Kuhl said brain maturation was measured by the thickness of the cerebral cortex, the outer layer of tissue in the brain.
She said the cerebral cortex naturally thinned with age, even in teens.
“Chronic stress and adversity are known to accelerate cortical thinning, which is associated with an increased risk for the development of neuropsychiatric and behavioural disorders.
“Many of these disorders, such as anxiety and depression, often emerge during adolescence — with females at a higher risk.”
Dr Kuhl said the cerebral cortex was unlikely to get thicker again, but the potential for recovery might take the form of slower thinning over time, after the return of normal social interactions and outlets.
“It is possible that there might be some recovery.
“On the other hand, it’s also possible to imagine that brain maturation will remain accelerated in these teens.”
Dr Kuhl said the greater impact on female brains as opposed to male brains could be due to differences in the importance of social interaction for girls versus boys.
She said female teenagers often relied more heavily on the relationships with other girls, prioritizing the ability to gather, talk to each other and share feelings, while boys tended to gather for physical activity.
