Pandemic stress physically aged teenagers’ brains, study finds

Such changes have previously only been associated with survivors of chronic adversity, reports Andy Gregory

The coronavirus pandemic has prematurely altered the structure of teenagers’ brains, a series of MRI scans has found (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Stress caused by the coronavirus pandemic has physically altered teenagers’ brains to appear several years older than they are, a new study has found.

In the first year of the pandemic, reports of anxiety and depression rose by 25 per cent from previous years, according to the World Health Organisation. However, the new research suggests that the impact on adolescents may have been even more significant.

The structure of the human brain changes naturally with age, and during puberty, growth occurs in both the hippocampus and amygdala – areas of the brain controlling access to memories and modulating emotions – while tissues in the cortex also become thinner.