COVID Pandemic Aged Brains By an Average of 5.5 Months, Study Finds 32
An anonymous reader quotes a report from NBC News: Using brain scans from a very large database, British researchers determined that during the pandemic years of 2021 and 2022, people's brains showed signs of aging, including shrinkage, according to the report published in Nature Communications. People who got infected with the virus also showed deficits in certain cognitive abilities, such as processing speed and mental flexibility. The aging effect "was most pronounced in males and those from more socioeconomically deprived backgrounds," said the study's first author, Ali-Reza Mohammadi-Nejad, a neuroimaging researcher at the University of Nottingham, via email. "It highlights that brain health is not shaped solely by illness, but also by broader life experiences."
Overall, the researchers found a 5.5-month acceleration in aging associated with the pandemic. On average, the difference in brain aging between men and women was small, about 2.5 months. "We don't yet know exactly why, but this fits with other research suggesting that men may be more affected by certain types of stress or health challenges," Mohammadi-Nejad said. [...] The study wasn't designed to pinpoint specific causes. "But it is likely that the cumulative experience of the pandemic -- including psychological stress, social isolation, disruptions in daily life, reduced activity and wellness -- contributed to the observed changes," Mohammadi-Nejad said. "In this sense, the pandemic period itself appears to have left a mark on our brains, even in the absence of infection." "The most intriguing finding in this study is that only those who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 showed any cognitive deficits, despite structural aging," said Jacqueline Becker, a clinical neuropsychologist and assistant professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "This speaks a little to the effects of the virus itself."
The study may shed light on conditions like long Covid and chronic fatigue, though it's still unclear whether the observed brain changes in uninfected individuals will lead to noticeable effects on brain function.
Overall, the researchers found a 5.5-month acceleration in aging associated with the pandemic. On average, the difference in brain aging between men and women was small, about 2.5 months. "We don't yet know exactly why, but this fits with other research suggesting that men may be more affected by certain types of stress or health challenges," Mohammadi-Nejad said. [...] The study wasn't designed to pinpoint specific causes. "But it is likely that the cumulative experience of the pandemic -- including psychological stress, social isolation, disruptions in daily life, reduced activity and wellness -- contributed to the observed changes," Mohammadi-Nejad said. "In this sense, the pandemic period itself appears to have left a mark on our brains, even in the absence of infection." "The most intriguing finding in this study is that only those who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 showed any cognitive deficits, despite structural aging," said Jacqueline Becker, a clinical neuropsychologist and assistant professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "This speaks a little to the effects of the virus itself."
The study may shed light on conditions like long Covid and chronic fatigue, though it's still unclear whether the observed brain changes in uninfected individuals will lead to noticeable effects on brain function.
So what? (Score:3)
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We gave up on brains long before AI. See Also: 2016 election.
Internet is the problem and solution (Score:5, Funny)
Can't have WW3 if everyone is busy arguing on the Internet. *taps temple knowingly*
I've never seen so many 3XL tactical vests until Jan 6th. I really don't see a reason to be afraid of most of the alt-right and far right these days.
If you want to fight fascism, just open a fried chicken restaurant and pay for weekly regular ads on Doordash. On Friday nights, offer a free 2L of Mountain Dew Code Red with every double bucket order.
Re: Internet is the problem and solution (Score:2)
I don't think poor diet is a partisan issue. And modern medicine can do miracles and keep people alive for a while, provided you don't take healthcare away from them.
Covid-19 infection affects small blood vessels (Score:2)
Re: Covid-19 infection affects small blood vessels (Score:2)
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A quick AI-deepsearch doublecheck suggests that this isn't at all pseudoscience, so care you defend your argument?
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I'll personally never get over how surprised people are to hear that COVID affects the cardiovascular system. The spike protein literally targets ACE2. That's its point of entry. ACE2 is a blood-pressure regulatory surface protein (Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 - angiotensin is a vasoconstrictor), expressed by cells that need to modulate the cardiovascular system. Pulmonary-related deaths were the #1 cause of death from COVID, but cardiovascular-related deaths were #2 or #3 (depending on whether you co
Given the infantile brain of the average American (Score:2)
Shouldn't a bit of additional aging be a good thing?
(Of course, not for our elected leaders. The average age of Congress is airline-pilots-would-be-forced-to-retire high...)
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Old and senile people are as infantile as petulant children, hence nope, we definitely don't need that.
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Shrinkage? (Score:3, Funny)
I was in the pool!! I was in the pool!!
Raise women's retirement age only next time (Score:2)
This is yet another reason to reverse the decades of women retiring earlier than men to having men retiring earlier...
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You sure proved them.
Reverse Aging (Score:4, Funny)
But it is likely that the cumulative experience of the pandemic -- including psychological stress, social isolation, disruptions in daily life, reduced activity and wellness -- contributed to the observed changes...
My brain have have reversed in age during the pandemic:
1) Psychological stress. I have never been happier in my entire adult life as I was during the pandemic. Working from home became the accepted norm. I didn't have to deal with shitty workplace offices (they are all shitty, without exception). I got to watch my kids grow, rather than only witnessing a small sliver of it. My wife and I got much more time with each other, which let us bond more than we had ever been able to bond in the past. Online shopping became the norm, etc. My stress level went down by an order of magnitude. My entire family got COVID, were bed-ridden for a day or two, then recovered like nothing happened. I hadn't slept that well in years, and my wife and I were supposed to be in the high-risk of death category. The pandemic years were the best years of my entire adult life, and they ended all too soon.
2) Social isolation: I was able to get away from people in general. Talk about mental rejuvenation! I had my wife and kids with me, which is all the socialization I need and want. I had the Internet for entertainment and education, and whatever socialization I wanted. Better yet, I could end socialization as needed and wanted. I was able to measure out what little socialization I wanted, and end it when I had enough. It was great.
3) Disruptions In Daily Life: Daily life requires all the things I don't want, so changing it was highly welcome. My stress level (and blood pressure) went way down during the pandemic. The worse part of the disruption was when it ended. Going back to daily life has raised my stress level (and my blood pressure) again.
4) Reduced Activity And Wellness: I lost 40 pounds during the pandemic due to increased and regular exercise, and due to greatly reduced stress. My blood pressure went down, my bonding with my family increased, and every metric of wellness I can think of improved (including my blood lipids). They were the golden years of middle-aged wellness.
If these are the markers for brain aging, my brain must have reversed aging by a few years. Bring on the next pandemic!
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My brain [may] have reversed in age during the pandemic:
An alternative hypothesis is that you suffered brain damage that altered your perception.
Not Everything Is a Covid Casualty (Score:1)
A reminder that... (Score:2)
just because you "got over" a disease, it doesn't mean you're "better". Not all damage just goes away. It seems every month brings a new discovery about some disease is brought about or greatly increased in likelihood from past infection. For example, my mother suffers greatly from Sjögren's (incl. neuropathy where it feels like her skin is on fire). There's now increasing evidence pointing to it and related diseases as being at least in part triggered by Epstein-Barr, and my mother has strong diagno
Awesome! (Score:3)