This feeling of taking ten years in a few months during the pandemic was not just an impression. A new British study reveals that the global health crisis has accelerated the aging of our brain in a measurable way, and this phenomenon even affects people who have never contracted the virus. This discovery upsets our understanding of the psychological effects of global crises on our organism.
A planetary natural experience
The COVVI-19 pandemic was an unprecedented natural experience, allowing scientists to observe the effects of collective stress on our brain health. Dr Ali-Reza Mohammadi-Nejad’s team from the University of Nottingham has seized this unique opportunity to lead a remarkable analysis.
Researchers have developed an innovative approach by causing artificial intelligence algorithms on data from more than 15,000 healthy participants, from the gigantic Biobank UK database. These models were then applied to the comparative analysis of brain scanners carried out before and after the start of the pandemic.
The study focused on 996 individuals strategically distributed in two distinct groups. The control group included 564 people who had passed two brain examinations before the arrival of the virus, while the experimental group brought together 432 participants who benefited from a scanner before the pandemic and a second after its start.
Measurable and disturbing brain changes
The results of this comparative analysis, published in Nature Communications, reveal significant structural changes in the brain of the Pandemic group participants. The researchers have identified notable variations in volumes of gray and white matter, recognized indicators of brain aging.
The most disturbing phenomenon concerns people who have never contracted COVVI-19. Even these individuals have obvious signs of accelerated brain aging, demonstrating that viral infection does not include the only responsible factor. This observation suggests that social upheavals, forced isolation and chronic stress of the year 2020 were enough to physically alter our brain.
Participants with a history of infection have additional degradations, especially in terms of cognitive treatment speed. This data confirms the direct neurological impact of the SARS-COV-2 virus, but it does not minimize the deleterious effect of the pandemic context on the entire population.
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Moderate but worrying effects
Before giving in to the alarm, these discoveries should be placed in their scientific context. Professor Masud Husain of the University of Oxford, specialist in neurology and cognitive neuroscience, brings a measured perspective to these results.
The brain age difference observed between groups does not exceed five months on average. This variation, although statistically significant, remains relatively modest on the scale of a human life. Likewise, the differences in cognitive performance is mainly limited to mental speed tests, without massively affecting global intellectual capacities.
This important nuance raises the crucial question of the real impact on the daily life of the individuals concerned. The researchers themselves recognize that the interpretation of these data requires scientific prudence.
Hope for reversibility
A light of optimism nevertheless comes from this research. Professor Dorothee Auer, the main author of the study, stresses that the permanence of these brain changes is not established. Neuroplasticity, this remarkable capacity of the brain to reorganize and repair, could potentially reverse the damage observed.
This encouraging perspective is based on our growing understanding of brain resilience. The human brain has an extraordinary adaptability, especially when stress conditions decrease and the environment becomes favorable again.
Implications beyond the covid
This study sheds light on a broader phenomenon than simple viral infection. It demonstrates how global crises can affect our health in unexpected ways, beyond direct health impacts. Collective stress, economic uncertainty and social isolation constitute full -fledged neurological risk factors.
The implications of this research go beyond the current pandemic. They prepare us to better understand and anticipate the effects of future crises on our brain health. This knowledge could direct public health policies towards more holistic approaches, integrating neurological protection into the management of emergency situations.
Towards better future preparation
These discoveries highlight the crucial importance of developing collective resilience strategies in the face of crises. Understanding that our brain can be physically affected by social upheavals allows us to envisage more effective preventive interventions.
The main lesson of this study lies in the need for a global approach to health in times of crisis, not only integrating infectious aspects but also the psychological and neurological dimensions of our collective well-being.
