New Scientist interview on study showing adolescent brains changed in unexpected ways during Covid-19 lockdown
Dr. Neva Corrigan was the lead author on new research about the structural changes in adolescent brains pre- and post-pandemic. As reported in the popular science magazine New Scientist (Jan. 2024), the data showed that cortical thickness in teenagers, following the pandemic, was abnormally reduced across widespread areas of the brain when compared to the expected normal patterns of brain change. Further analyses indicated that the cortical thinning effect was much more pronounced in females than in males. Premature reduction in cortical thickness during adolescence has previously been associated with chronic stress and/or trauma. Corrigan and colleagues’ findings suggest that the lifestyle changes necessitated by COVID-19 altered the normal pattern of brain structure change in teenagers, producing structural alterations typically associated with chronic stress.