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.
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Denne historien er fra September 10, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
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"They can't get away scot-free' EFL wants to charge Leicester with PSR breach if relegated
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