“Devastating Consequences”… How Corona Lockdowns Affected Teen Brains?



Using MRI data, researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle confirmed that the thinning of the cerebral cortex in adolescent brains accelerated after incarceration and that the effect was greater in female brains than in male brains.

A pioneering research paper from 2022 provided the first evidence that in adolescence there is a critical period of brain “plasticity” (modibility) in the frontal lobe of the brain, which is the area responsible for thinking, decision-making, short-term memory, and controlling social behavior.

Did ‘Corona Lockdowns’ Accelerate Detrimental Aging in Teenage Brains?

To answer the question, Science Alert explained that one must understand that aging and growth are two sides of the same coin and are closely related.

On the one hand, Aging Biological is the gradual deterioration of the functions of cells, tissues and body systems. On the other hand, growth 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 possible, therefore, that the “accelerated maturation” of the cerebral cortex in adolescents is an age-related change that affects the rate of aging. Brain Through life.

How strong is the evidence that accelerated deleterious brain aging in adolescents is associated with confinement during the corona period?

According to the study, one of the cornerstones of brain health is “Social cognition“, which means the ability of the brain to communicate socially with others.

Interference with cognition can lead to potentially devastating health consequences, particularly among adolescents who depend on social interaction for normal cognitive development.

At the same time, longer adolescence It is also the period for the onset of many neurological and psychological disorders, including anxiety and depression, where they occur Women Younger people are more likely to suffer from anxiety and mood disorders Male.

Devastating consequences

According to the study, the socially restrictive lockdown measures seem to have had a significant negative impact on the mental health of adolescents, especially girls.

She adds: “There is no doubt that pandemic closures have 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 impaired by these precautions over a period of time corona“.





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