The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown led to accelerated brain maturation in adolescents, with an average of 4.2 years in females compared to 1.4 years in males, according to a recent study.
Researchers conducted a longitudinal study using normative modeling to compare pre-pandemic and post-pandemic cortical thickness data from adolescents. Pre-pandemic data were collected from 87 adolescents, and post-pandemic analysis included a sample of 54 adolescents. Using MRI data collected before and after the pandemic, the researchers assessed cortical thickness changes across 68 brain regions.
The findings revealed deviations from expected developmental trajectories, particularly cortical thinning, which is indicative of accelerated maturation. This was observed in 30 brain regions in females, while males exhibited changes in only two regions. The study suggests that lifestyle disruptions associated with the pandemic lockdown, rather than lockdowns alone, contributed to these changes in brain development. Females were more affected than males, with average brain maturation accelerated by 4.2 years in females compared to 1.4 years in males.
The effect size for cortical thinning exceeded 0.5 in 43% of the regions examined in females, while in males, only 6% of regions showed effect sizes above this threshold.
The accelerated brain maturation observed aligns with the 'stress acceleration hypothesis,' which proposes that adverse environments, such as the pandemic lockdown, can lead to faster brain development. This theory has been supported by previous research linking childhood trauma, abuse, and deprivation to similar premature brain aging.
These findings, published in PNAS, are consistent with earlier studies showing that chronic stress and adversity during development can result in accelerated brain maturation, potentially increasing the risk of neuropsychiatric and behavioral disorders.
The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Washington and was funded by the Bezos Family Foundation. The authors declared no competing interests.
