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The COVID Pandemic May Have Aged Your Brain\u2014Even If You Never Got Sick<\/p>\n
Immunologist Zachary Rubin explains how, according to a recent study, living through a pandemic might accelerate brain aging.<\/p>\n
By Zachary Rubin edited by Kelso Harper<\/span><\/p>\n This video is part of \u201cInnovations In: RSV,” an editorially independent special report that was produced with financial support from MSD, Sanofi and AstraZeneca.<\/p>\n Zachary Rubin: Has the pandemic aged your brain? A new study suggests the answer might be yes, even if you never got sick with COVID-19.<\/p>\n If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.<\/p>\n Researchers in the U.K. analyzed brain scans from nearly 1,000 healthy adults before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. What they found was surprising: people living through the pandemic showed signs of accelerated brain aging. Their brains appeared about five and a half months older than expected when compared to prepandemic trends.<\/p>\n That\u2019s right, just living through the stress and disruption of the pandemic may have left a subtle, measurable imprint on your brain.<\/p>\n So how did they figure this out? The scientists used data from the U.K. Biobank, a massive health database that includes brain imaging from tens of thousands of participants. They trained a machine-learning model to estimate \u201cbrain age\u201d based on hundreds of structural features seen in MRI scans. Then they compared two groups: people who had both scans before the pandemic and those who had one scan before and one during the pandemic.<\/p>\n The result? Brain aging accelerated in the pandemic group, even among people who didn\u2019t get COVID-19.<\/p>\n Now here\u2019s a twist: while the structure of the brain appeared older, cognitive function\u2014things like processing speed and problem-solving\u2014didn\u2019t necessarily decline in people who avoided infection. The structural changes didn\u2019t always mean someone felt or performed worse, at least not right away.<\/p>\n So what\u2019s causing this? The researchers propose two possibilities. First, actual infection with COVID-19 can cause lasting effects on the brain. That\u2019s already been shown in previous studies.<\/p>\n But the second possibility is broader and maybe more troubling: the pandemic environment itself may have triggered the change. Think about it: social isolation, chronic stress, loss of loved ones\u2014all of that may contribute to brain changes over time.<\/p>\n The good news? You can take steps to support your brain health today. Stay physically active. Keep your brain stimulated. Prioritize sleep, good nutrition and social connection. And yes, get vaccinated and stay protected. COVID-19 infections, especially repeat ones, are still associated with long-term cognitive effects.<\/p>\n Your brain has been through a lot, so treat it kindly.<\/p>\n If you enjoyed this article, I\u2019d like to ask for your support. Scientific American<\/span> has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been a Scientific American<\/span> subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm <\/span>always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.<\/p>\n If you subscribe to Scientific American<\/span>, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.<\/p>\n In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can’t-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world’s best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.<\/p>\n There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you\u2019ll support us in that mission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The COVID Pandemic May Have Aged Your Brain\u2014Even If You Never Got Sick Immunologist Zachary Rubin explains how, according to a recent study, living through a pandemic might accelerate brain aging. By Zachary Rubin edited by Kelso Harper This video is part of \u201cInnovations In: RSV,” an editorially independent special report that was produced with<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32497,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[5289,2121,5333,6912,1716,188,3415],"class_list":{"0":"post-32496","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"tag-aged","9":"tag-brain","10":"tag-covid","11":"tag-everyones","12":"tag-pandemic","13":"tag-study","14":"tag-suggests"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=32496"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32496\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/32497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=32496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=32496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=32496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}On supporting science journalism<\/h2>\n
It\u2019s Time to Stand Up for Science<\/h2>\n