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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Science
Ian Sample Science editor

Covid lockdowns prematurely aged girls’ brains more than boys’, study suggests

Brain Covid-19
Teenage girl talking to older woman.
Findings a ‘reminder of the fragility of teens, says expert, who urged parents to try to get their children to ‘open up’. Photograph: MoMo Productions/Getty Images

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.

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