The brains of healthy people aged faster during the COVID-19 pandemic than did the brains of people analysed before the pandemic began, a study of almost 1,000 people suggests. The accelerated ageing occurred even in people who didn’t become infected.

The stress of lockdowns, fear and social isolation appear to have left a mark on our brains. Experts say it may be possible to counteract the changes.

A new study found that the COVID-19 pandemic may be linked to more rapid brain aging. Researchers examined the effects of the pandemic — not the disease itself — on brain aging by comparing the "brain age gap" on MRIs taken before and after the pandemic's onset.