stress caused quarantine This caused at least three years of premature brain aging in adolescents, similar to changes seen in chronically stressed children, according to a new study.

The study, which was published Thursday in a review Biological Psychiatry: A Global Open Sciencefor the first time compares the brains of adolescents before and after the onset of the pandemic and captures significant differences. Jan Godliblead author of the study and professor of psychology at Stanford University.

The researchers thought children would now have higher levels of depression, anxiety and fear than before the pandemic.

“We didn’t know that their brains would have such consequences,” said Gottlieb, director of the Stanford Laboratory for Neurodevelopment, Emotion and Psychopathology.

Comparison of MRI images of the group 128 children aged 9 to 13before and after quarantine, researchers found an increase hippocampus as well as amygdalaareas of the brain that respectively control access to certain memories and help regulate fear, stress, and other emotions.

They also found thinning tissue in the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for the executive function of the brain.

These changes occur during normal adolescence, but the pandemic appears to have accelerated the process, Gottlieb said.

bad development

As stated Washington Postpremature aging of the child’s brain is not a positive phenomenon.

Before the pandemic, this phenomenon was observed in cases of chronic stress, trauma, abuse and neglect.

These adverse childhood experiences not only make people more vulnerable to depression, anxiety, addictions, and other mental illnesses, but can also increase the risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and other long-term negative outcomes.

The experts also found more severe symptoms of anxiety, depression and over-introversion in the pandemic survivor group.

“The bottom line for me is that there are serious mental health issues for children who have survived the pandemic,” Gottlieb said.

It is noted that previous studies have found sharply higher levels of anxiety, depression and other mental illness among adolescents since the start of the pandemic.

According to the Washington Post