COVID-19 lockdown effects on adolescent brain structure suggest accelerated maturation that is more pronounced in females than in males

"Significance: We report that the lockdown measures enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in unusually accelerated brain maturation in adolescents and that this accelerated maturation was much more pronounced in females than in males. These findings indicate greater vulnerability of the female brain, as compared to the male brain, to the lifestyle changes resulting from the pandemic lockdowns. They additionally provide a potential neurophysiological mechanism for alterations in adolescent mental health and other behaviors associated with the lockdowns. Since accelerated brain maturation has been associated with increased risk for the development of neuropsychiatric and behavioral disorders, these findings highlight the importance of providing ongoing monitoring and support to individuals who were adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic...

The analysis revealed accelerated cortical thinning in the post-COVID brain, which was more widespread throughout the brain and greater in magnitude in females than in males. When measured in terms of equivalent years of development, the mean acceleration was found to be 4.2 y in females and 1.4 y in males. Accelerated brain maturation as a result of chronic stress or adversity during development has been well documented."