The brains of American teens have been aging faster than usual during the pandemic.

A new US study compared magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of teens’ brains before and after the pandemic began. They had no idea of ​​the magnitude of the effects.

Researchers conducted MRI scans on 128 children before and at the end of the first year of the epidemic. They found that the memory part of the hippocampus and the emotional part were significantly altered.

They also found brain thinning in the cerebral cortex, which controls human functions. These deficiencies usually occur during adolescence, but the pandemic has accelerated aging. Aging corresponds to at least 3 years of normal aging for a teenager.

The researchers were surprised at how powerful aging can be

It is already known that teens in the United States are experiencing higher levels of depression and anxiety during the pandemic. The researchers suspected that physical changes could be occurring in the brains, but they could not guess how strongly the effect would be on the brains.

“Premature aging of children’s brains has previously been linked to chronic childhood stress, trauma, abuse and neglect. It increases the risk of developing mental illnesses in the future, so it is important that we pay attention to catching young people who may feel worse in the future,” comments David Grönte, chief medical officer. in psychiatry

source:

https://www.bpsgos.org/article…