Brain scans indicate that healthy people experienced accelerated brain ageing during the COVID-19 pandemic, even if not infected. This ageing impact was most pronounced in older, male, and disadvantaged individuals. Cognitive decline was noted only in those who contracted COVID-19, implying that accelerated brain ageing may not directly affect mental capabilities. Researchers analyzed brain scans from almost 1,000 adults using machine-learning models to identify changes, highlighting the pandemic's significant influence on neurological health. Uncertainty remains on the reversibility of these age-related changes due to limited time point analysis.
The brains of healthy people aged faster during the COVID-19 pandemic than did the brains of people analysed before the pandemic began, a study of almost 1,000 people suggests.
The accelerated ageing occurred even in people who didn't become infected. The accelerated ageing was most noticeable in older people, male participants and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Cognitive tests revealed that mental agility declined only in participants who picked up a case of COVID-19, suggesting that faster brain ageing doesn't necessarily translate into impaired thinking and memory.
The study really underlines how significant the pandemic environment was for mental and neurological health. It's unclear whether the pandemic-associated brain ageing is reversible.
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