A new study suggests that brain aging may have accelerated during the pandemic, even among individuals who did not contract Covid-19.
This research, published in Nature Communications, utilized brain scans from an extensive database to identify signs of aging, including brain shrinkage, in people during the pandemic years of 2021 and 2022.
The findings indicate that those who were infected with the virus experienced cognitive deficits in areas such as processing speed and mental flexibility.
First author Ali-Reza Mohammadi-Nejad, a neuroimaging researcher at the University of Nottingham, highlighted that the aging effects were notably stronger in males and individuals from socioeconomically deprived backgrounds.
“It highlights that brain health is not shaped solely by illness, but also by broader life experiences,” Mohammadi-Nejad stated via email.
On average, the study found a 5.5-month acceleration in brain aging associated with the pandemic.
The disparity in brain aging between genders was relatively minor, approximately 2.5 months.
Mohammadi-Nejad explained, “We don’t yet know exactly why, but this fits with other research suggesting that men may be more affected by certain types of stress or health challenges.”
As people age, brain shrinkage naturally occurs.
Premature shrinkage of gray matter can increase the risk of memory loss and judgment problems, although this study does not establish a direct connection between structural changes and future cognitive deficits.
The research was not designed to isolate specific causes for the observed brain changes.
However, Mohammadi-Nejad suggested that the cumulative experience of the pandemic—including psychological stress, social isolation, disruptions in daily life, and reduced activity—likely contributed to these alterations in brain structure.
“In this sense, the pandemic period itself appears to have left a mark on our brains, even in the absence of infection,” he added.
Supporting evidence from an earlier study conducted on teenagers found a similar trend, indicating that boys’ brains aged an equivalent of 1.4 extra years during the pandemic while girls aged 4.2 additional years.
To assess the pandemic’s impact on brain health, Mohammadi-Nejad and his team utilized the UK Biobank, which began in 2006 and maintains vast anonymous health data from 500,000 volunteers aged 40 to 69.
Thus far, the biobank has successfully collected 100,000 whole body scans.
Researchers established a baseline model of normal aging by analyzing imaging data from 15,334 healthy individuals collected prior to the pandemic.
They then examined a subset of 996 participants, where 564 had scans before the pandemic and 432 had their second scans taken after it began, primarily between 2021 and 2022.
This allowed researchers to assess any changes in brain aging attributed to the pandemic.
While the second scans were conducted later during the pandemic, they likely captured brain changes occurring during the most disruptive periods of the crisis, according to Mohammadi-Nejad.
Previous research has indicated that environmental stressors may lead to premature brain aging.
In a striking finding, only those who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 showed cognitive deficits despite evidence of structural aging.
Jacqueline Becker, a clinical neuropsychologist and assistant professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, noted that this observation hints at the virus’s potential impact on brain health.
She added that such findings might provide insight into chronic conditions like long Covid and chronic fatigue.
However, it remains uncertain whether the observed structural changes in individuals who did not contract Covid will manifest as functional cognitive changes, Becker cautioned.
Adam Brickman, a neuropsychology professor at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, described the study as compelling but still largely hypothetical.
He emphasized that it is not clear if the accelerated aging seen in participants who were not infected with the virus will have lasting effects.
Should the pandemic indeed have transformed brains in significant ways, Brickman suggested that individuals could mitigate such changes through healthy lifestyle choices.
“We know that exercise is good for the brain, and maintaining healthy blood pressure is important as well.
Additionally, adequate sleep and social interactions contribute positively to mental health,” Brickman noted.
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