Lockdowns due to the pandemic covid-19 It was an experience that left its mark on many of us, to varying degrees and in many ways. This has been confirmed by researchers at the University of Washington, Seattle, in the United States, who focused on the brain of adolescents. According to their analysis, Teenagers who suffered restrictions social They also experienced faster brain aging than boys. Details of their studythe first to detect such marked gender differences, are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Girls fared worse
Although MRIs showed a aging cerebral early in both boys and girls, the researchers found that girls’ brains seemed on average 4.2 years older than expected after confinement, compared to 1.4 years older what those of children. However, it is not yet clear whether the newly observed changes have any negative effects, although researchers raised concerns that they could affect mental health. “We were surprised by the data, by the fact that the difference was so drastic,” says Patricia Kuhl, one of the authors of the study.
The study was like this
To study brain aging, researchers analyzed MRI scans of 160 children between the ages of 9 and 17 in 2018 and then used them to build a model of normality with which the brain ageing cerebral cortex becomes thinner with age. Some degree of cortical thinning, as the authors explain, is natural and is an important stage of maturation and specialization of the brain. brain in adolescence. The team then revisited the same group of boys in 2021 and 2022, following the covid pandemic closureand collected additional MRI scans of those aged 12 to 16. Compared to pre-pandemic brain development, these latest scans showed signs of cortical thinning. accelerated.
The differences between boys and girls
The data showed that in both sexes there were signs of faster aging in one region of the brain related to vision, which may influence the processing of faces. However, in girls, brain changes were also widespread in other areas crucial for communication as those responsible for processing emotions, interpreting facial expressions and understanding language. The difference between the two sexes, according to the researchers’ hypothesis, could be explained by the fact that girls tend to have more social interactions. “Girls talk and share their emotions,” Kuhl explains. “They are much more dependent (than boys) on social interaction for their well-being and healthy neural, physical and emotional development.”
The fragility of adolescence
Although further studies are needed to understand whether brain aging affects cognitive performance, the expert stresses that the results of the new study should be interpreted as a “reminder of the fragility of adolescents“and advises parents to talk to their children about their experiences with the pandemic. “It’s important to invite your teens over for coffee, tea, a walk, whatever it takes to get them to open up,” Kuhl concludes. “It’s important to recognize that even though the pandemic is largely over, effects of stress are still present in children and adolescents,” he explains to The Guardian Ian Gotlib, a professor of psychology at Stanford University. Making sure young people receive support in the areas of mental health It is essential, perhaps now more than ever.”
Article originally published in WIRED ItaliaAdapted by Mauricio Serfatty Godoy.
