Try GOLD - Free
Girls hit harder than boys by premature brain ageing linked to Covid lockdowns
The Guardian
|September 10, 2024
Adolescent girls who lived through Covid lockdowns experienced more rapid brain ageing than boys, according to data that suggests the social restrictions had a disproportionate impact on them.
MRI scans found evidence of premature brain ageing in both boys and girls, but girls' brains appeared on average 4.2 years older than expected after lockdowns, compared with 1.4 years older for boys.
It is unclear whether the changes have negative consequences, but the findings have raised concerns that they might affect adolescents' mental health and potential to learn.
"We were shocked by these data, that the difference is so dramatic," said Prof Patricia Kuhl, co-director of the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences at the University of Washington, in Seattle.
The researchers gathered MRI scans from 160 nine- to 17-yearolds in 2018 and used them to build a model of how the brain's cortex normally thins during school years.
This story is from the September 10, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The Guardian
The Guardian
India's World Cup heroics deserve a long-lasting legacy
Stunning home triumph has upended the status quo and should serve as a wake-up call to nation's powerbrokers
3 mins
November 04, 2025
The Guardian
Apec summit Xi shows his lighter side with phone gag
It would take someone with nerves of steel to joke about the security of Chinese smartphones in front of Xi Jinping. Step forward the South Korean president, Lee Jae Myung, who, after being given two of the devices by his Chinese counterpart at a state banquet, wondered out loud whether they were secure.
1 mins
November 04, 2025
The Guardian
Pregnant British teenager held in Georgian prison is released
The British teenager Bella May Culley has been released from a Georgian prison, after payment of a substantial fine as part of a plea agreement.
1 min
November 04, 2025
The Guardian
Steward injury could offer Smith chance to make fresh start with England
Full-back spot may be up for grabs with Daly and Furbank already ruled out
2 mins
November 04, 2025
The Guardian
OpenAI in £29bn datacentre deal with Amazon
OpenAI has signed a $38bn (£29bn) deal to use Amazon Web Services to operate its artificial intelligence products as part of a more than $1tn spending spree on computing power.
1 min
November 04, 2025
The Guardian
O'Neil stuns Wolves after walking away from return
Gary O'Neil has stunned Wolves by withdrawing from talks to return to the club as head coach.
1 min
November 04, 2025
The Guardian
From stocking filler to floor filler: John Lewis Christmas advert channels nightclub nostalgia
John Lewis is hoping that a dash of nostalgia will get consumers into the festive mood this year as it officially kickstarts the countdown to Christmas with the launch of its 2025 advert - to the tune of the 1990s club classic Where Love Lives.
3 mins
November 04, 2025
The Guardian
TalkTV broke impartiality rules with local elections claim, says Ofcom
TalkTV, the online channel owned by Rupert Murdoch's News UK, breached impartiality rules in a show that repeatedly accused the government of cancelling local elections out of fear of Reform UK, the media regulator said yesterday.
1 min
November 04, 2025
The Guardian
PM 'told of Mandelson's relationship with Epstein before ambassador appointment'
Keir Starmer was briefed on details of Peter Mandelson's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein before he decided to appoint him US ambassador, senior civil servants said yesterday.
2 mins
November 04, 2025
The Guardian
The victims Footballer among 11 hospitalised
One of the passengers stabbed in the train attack in Cambridgeshire was named yesterday as a footballer with Scunthorpe United.
2 mins
November 04, 2025
Listen
Translate
Change font size