Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
Research Shows Brain Aging Accelerated During COVID-19 Pandemic, Regardless of Infection Status
A recent study published in Nature Communications revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an acceleration of brain aging by several months, even in individuals who were never infected with the virus.
The research, based on brain scans from a large UK database, demonstrated signs of aging such as brain shrinkage in participants from 2021 to 2022, regardless of their COVID-19 status.
While those who had contracted COVID-19 displayed some cognitive decline, the study highlighted that structural brain changes were observed in a broader population.
Factors such as pandemic-related stressors including anxiety, social isolation, and economic insecurity were identified as potential contributors to the increased rate of brain aging.
The findings indicated that the pandemic may have prematurely aged individuals’ brains by an average of 5.5 months, even among those who never had the virus. Men and individuals from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds were particularly affected, according to the study.
Researchers analyzed brain scans of 15,334 healthy adults in the UK Biobank program, utilizing machine-learning models to assess various structural features of the brain and how they evolve with age. The lead author of the study, Ali-Reza Mohammadi-Nejad, emphasized the significant increase in brain aging rates among individuals who had not been infected with COVID-19.
Mohammadi-Nejad stated, “It really shows how much the experience of the pandemic itself, everything from isolation to uncertainty, may have affected our brain health.”
The long-term implications of these brain changes remain uncertain, but researchers stress the importance of addressing health and socio-economic disparities, as well as lifestyle factors, to mitigate accelerated brain aging. Further studies are deemed essential to enhance brain health outcomes in future public health crises.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a recent increase in COVID-19 cases in certain regions, emphasizing the ongoing impact of the virus on public health.
The CDC highlighted a rise in COVID-19 activity in Southeast, Southern, and West Coast states, based on wastewater data and emergency department visits among young children.
Wastewater surveillance in several states, including California, Florida, and Texas, indicated elevated levels of the virus, prompting continued monitoring and public health measures to combat the spread of COVID-19.
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