New study claims Covid-19 lockdown increased ‘brain-age’ of many teenagers, stress may have been an additional trigger

A new study (Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Mental Health and Brain Maturation in Adolescents: Implications for Analyzing Longitudinal Data) suggests that the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the brain function of adolescents, with lockdown stress having accelerated the brain age of American teens.

The research that has been published in the journal Biological Psychiatry: Global Open Science claims that aside from being one of the deadliest health scares in recent history, the Covid-19 pandemic impacted the cognitive functions of young adults.

The study which was conducted by a group of researchers from Stanford University reported that during the pandemic, rates of depression and anxiety rose to alarming levels (more than 25 per cent) in young adults.


The higher rates of isolation drastically increased the ‘brain age’ of teens. During the pandemic, schools closed down and people were advised to stay indoors and avoid crowds. This cut off many adolescents from peers and like-minded individuals. This stunted emotional as well as cognitive development in teens to a large extent.

According to American psychologist Ian Gotlib, (who is also leading the research) the pandemic led to a truckload of psychological as well as neurological problems in kids. The research team compared MRI scans conducted on 163 children taken before and after the pandemic and found that many of these kids developed abnormalities such as reduced cortical thickness, and larger hippocampal and amygdala volume as well as advanced brain age.

Our brain structure changes naturally as we age. During puberty and early teenage years, a significant amount of growth occurs in the hippocampus and amygdala regions of the brain. These areas regulate memories and help us modulate emotions. This development process accelerated in adolescents as they were subject to the lockdown.

Prior to the pandemic, there have been several studies that discovered that there was a direct correlation between early exposure to adversities like violence, parental neglect, and abuse and poor neurodevelopmental outcomes such as premature aging of the brain. For example, cortical thickness which decreases with age has been found to be further reduced in youth who have faced abuse or neglect early on in life.

As a result of social isolation, adolescents were often cooped up with their immediate family members 24x7. This led to the disruption of normal routines. It also subjected children from dysfunctional families to more familial violence and neglect. This might have speeded up their brain maturity.

However, the researchers are unsure if the changes are permanent and what this could mean for the adolescents who came of age during the pandemic. “Will their chronological age eventually catch up to their ‘brain age’? If their brain remains permanently older than their chronological age, it’s unclear what the outcomes will be in the future. For a 70- or 80-year-old, you’d expect some cognitive and memory problems based on changes in the brain, but what does it mean for a 16-year-old if their brains are aging prematurely?” posed Gotlib who is also the director of Stanford Neurodevelopment, Affect, and Psychopathology (SNAP) Laboratory at Stanford University.

Don’t neglect the mental health struggles of your teenage son or daughter. Dismissing mental health complaints of adolescents is unfortunately extremely common in South Asia. Many parents tend to underestimate the importance of mental well-being. However, neglecting mental health can lead to lifelong problems. Once their precarious sense of self-esteem and identity is shattered, teens will struggle to become well-adjusted and stable adults.

As a parent you can watch out for these tell-tale signs in teens:

• Refusing to mingle with peers.
• Demanding to be isolated in their room and be cut off from social contact all the time.
• A drastic change in daily habits like refusing to eat or overeating.
• Frequent and unexplained mood swings.

The UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) suggests four ways you can provide emotional support to your teen:

• Encourage them to share their feelings. Let them know that you are here to lend an ear and listen to what they have to say without any judgment.
• Ask them how their day has been.
• Praise them for any accomplishment no matter how trivial they might be. Teens crave validation, especially from those they look up to.
• During conflicts, don’t infantilise your teen. Listen patiently to what they have to say. Assure them that you have their best interests at heart. Explain why you are unable to agree with them and why you believe your suggestions will benefit them.