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.

Brain aging may have sped up during the pandemic, even in people who didn’t get sick from Covid, a new study suggests.

Using brain scans from a very large database, British researchers determined that during the pandemic years of 2021 and 2022, people’s brains showed signs of aging, including shrinkage, according to the report published in Nature Communications.

People who got infected with the virus also showed deficits in certain cognitive abilities, such as processing speed and mental flexibility.