July 23, 2025
We found that participants who simply lived through the pandemic period, regardless of infection, also showed signs of slightly accelerated brain aging.
Researcher at the University of Nottingham School of Medicine in the U.K., Ali-Reza Mohammadi-Nejad, who led a newly released study suggesting the COVID-19 pandemic aged brains about 5.5 months faster compared to brain scans prior to the pandemic.
Why It Matters: Accelerated aging appeared in people regardless of whether they had been infected with the virus. The research found certain groups were more impacted though – most notably men, the elderly, and those with compromised health, unstable housing, or lower educational status or income. Nonetheless, brain scans suggesting overall aging “highlights that the broader experience of the pandemic—including disruptions to daily life, stress, reduced social interactions, reduced activity, etc., —may have had a measurable impact on brain health,” explains Mohammadi-Nejad.
Learn More:
- COVID-19 Made Our Brains Age Faster (Time)
- Accelerated brain ageing during the COVID-19 pandemic (Nature Communications)
Image Credit: Milad Fakurian on Unsplash
by Stephanie Wagner, based in Florida
