NEW YORK, Sept 11: A study from the University of Washington, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals that adolescent girls' brains aged significantly faster than expected during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. This accelerated brain aging is attributed to social isolation.

The research, which measured cortical thinning—a natural process where the brain prunes redundant synapses and reduces its outer layer—showed that this thinning accelerated notably during the pandemic. Cortical thinning, while generally a normal part of brain maturation, can speed up under stress and is linked to depression and anxiety. Scans taken in 2021, after lockdowns began lifting, showed rapid cortical thinning in both boys and girls, but the effect was much more pronounced in girls. Girls experienced an average of 4.2 years of accelerated cortical thinning, while boys saw a 1.4-year increase.

Patricia K. Kuhl, a director at the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences at the University of Washington and one of the study's authors, noted, “A girl who was 11 at the start of the pandemic and returned at 14 now has a brain that looks like an 18-year-old’s.” She attributed this change to social deprivation, suggesting that adolescent girls, who rely heavily on social interaction to manage stress, were particularly impacted.

The study found that the accelerated thinning affected all areas of the brain in girls, including the fusiform gyrus (important for facial recognition), the insula (which processes emotions), and the superior temporal gyrus (critical for language). In contrast, boys showed accelerated thinning only in two regions related to visual processing.

While the findings are striking, researchers cautioned against jumping to conclusions about long-term damage. Ronald E. Dahl from the University of California, Berkeley, emphasized that accelerated cortical thinning might not necessarily indicate a problem but could reflect normal maturation changes. Similarly, Bradley S. Peterson from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles pointed out that the pre-and post-pandemic brain data came from different groups of subjects, making it difficult to assess individual changes. He also noted that other factors during the pandemic, such as increased screen time and family stress, might have contributed to the observed changes.

The study highlights a significant gender difference in brain development during the pandemic but leaves open questions about whether these changes are permanent or reversible with the return of normal social interactions. As Dr. Kuhl suggested, if girls' social environments improve as the pandemic recedes, there may be a chance for their brain development to return to a typical rate.