The Pandemic Appears to Have Accelerated Brain Aging, Even in People Who Never Got Covid
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Summary
Researchers from the University of Nottingham have discovered that the stress and uncertainty of the Covid pandemic has contributed to people’s brains ageing more quickly.
The study compared brain scans from 1,000 adults taken both before and after the pandemic and found that the brains of those scanned after showed a median increase in ageing of 5.5 months.
The findings showed that this acceleration in brain ageing was more pronounced among older adults, men and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
The study also noted that only those who had COVID went on to show measurable cognitive impairment.
Although the implications of these findings are yet unknown, lead author Dorothee Auer said it was “an encouraging idea that we don’t yet know if these changes can be reversed.
