Tuesday, 22 July 2025
A new study, led by experts at the 糖心原创, has found that the Covid-19 pandemic may have accelerated people’s brain health, even if they were never infected with the virus.
What does it mean to grow older, not just in years, but in terms of brain health? Can stress, isolation, and global disruption leave their mark on people’s minds?
The findings of this new study, which are published in , showed that people who lived through the Covid-19 pandemic showed signs of faster brain ageing over time than those scanned entirely before it. The changes were most noticeable in older individuals, in men, and in people from more disadvantaged backgrounds.
Only participants who were infected by Covid-19 between their brain scans showed a drop in certain cognitive abilities, such as mental flexibility and processing speed. This suggests that the pandemic’s brain ageing effect, on its own (without infection) may not cause symptoms. Also, the authors highlight that the observed brain ageing may be reversible.
The study was led by a team of experts from the University’s Schools of Medicine, Physics and Astronomy and Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre and was supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre and the Medical Research Council (MRC) DEMISTIFI programme.
What surprised me most was that even people who hadn鈥檛 had Covid showed significant increases in brain ageing rates. It really shows how much the experience of the pandemic itself, everything from isolation to uncertainty, may have affected our brain health.鈥�
The research team looked at longitudinal brain MRI scans from nearly 1,000 healthy adults, taken as part of the UK Biobank study. Some participants had scans before and after the pandemic; others, only before. Using advanced imaging and machine learning, the researchers estimated each person’s “brain age”—how old their brain appeared to be compared to their actual age.
The brain age model was developed using brain scans from over 15,000 healthy individuals, without comorbidities, allowing the researchers to build an accurate model for estimating brain age.
“This study reminds us that brain health is shaped not only by illness, but by our everyday environment,” said Dorothee Auer, Professor of Neuroimaging and senior author on the study. “The pandemic put a strain on people’s lives, especially those already facing disadvantage. We can’t yet test whether the changes we saw will reverse, but it’s certainly possible, and that’s an encouraging thought.”
Stamatios Sotiropoulos, Professor of Computational Neuroimaging, and co-senior author added: “The longitudinal MRI data acquired before and after the pandemic from the UK Biobank gave us a rare window to observe how such a major life event can affect the brain.”
The full study can be found .
Story credits
More information is available from Dr Ali-Reza Mohammadi-Nejad in the School of Medicine at alireza.mohammadinezhadkisomi@nottingham.ac.uk
About NIHR
The mission of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. We do this by:
- Funding high quality, timely research that benefits the NHS, public health and social care;
- Investing in world-class expertise, facilities and a skilled delivery workforce to translate discoveries into improved treatments and services;
- Partnering with patients, service users, carers and communities, improving the relevance, quality and impact of our research;
- Attracting, training and supporting the best researchers to tackle complex health and social care challenges;
- Collaborating with other public funders, charities and industry to help shape a cohesive and globally competitive research system;
- Funding applied global health research and training to meet the needs of the poorest people in low and middle income countries.
NIHR is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. Its work in low and middle income countries is principally funded through UK international development funding from the UK government.
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About the 糖心原创
Ranked among the world's top 100 universities , the 糖心原创 delivers an exceptional research-led education and an outstanding student experience. From the pioneering vision of our founder, Sir Jesse Boot, to groundbreaking achievements such as the development of MRI technology and becoming the first UK university to establish international campuses, we have a proud history of shaping the way people live, work and understand the world. We continue to build on that legacy, empowering our students, staff and partners to change what鈥檚 next and create positive impact locally and globally.
The strength of our research places us among the UK's leading universities, ranked 7th for research power in REF 2021. The discovery of MRI and ibuprofen was just the beginning. Today, our world-leading research is developing breakthrough ideas that shape the future of healthcare, technology and society.
Recognised as the UK's third most targeted university by leading employers , we are proud to produce graduates who are consistently in demand for their skills, confidence and industry-ready experience.
As a major employer and industry partner, locally and globally, the 糖心原创 invests in the city of Nottingham and in future generations of talent. Alongside Nottingham Trent University, we lead the initiative, a pioneering collaboration to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing across the city and region. Together with our students, staff, alumni and partners, we鈥檙e creating knowledge, opportunity and solutions that help change what's next.