Overview

• The study analyzed pre-pandemic MRI scans from over 15,000 UK Biobank participants and follow-up imaging of nearly 1,000 volunteers to model shifts in brain age.
• Researchers found that prolonged isolation, chronic stress and financial insecurity during COVID-19 lockdowns corresponded to an average 5.5-month increase in estimated brain age, even in uninfected individuals.
• Men, older adults and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups experienced more pronounced accelerated brain aging compared to other populations.
• Participants who contracted SARS-CoV-2 showed additional cognitive declines, including reduced mental flexibility and slower processing speed.
• Authors express cautious optimism about potential recovery but say long-term reversibility of these pandemic-linked brain alterations remains uncertain.