A recent investigation spanning the COVID-19 pandemic suggests that brain scans could serve as predictive tools for assessing teenagers' mental health during stressful periods. Unveiled at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience on November 13, the findings offer significant insights into the resilience exhibited by some individuals compared to those who succumb to stress.
Margot Wagner, a bioengineer at the University of California, San Diego, not directly involved in the study, highlighted the distinctive nature of this research. She emphasized that, unlike typical studies that merely report results, this research tracked hundreds of teenagers over time, providing an opportunity for early intervention.
The pandemic had a profound impact on many teenagers, with the repercussions of isolation, worry, and disruptions to daily routines gradually comprehended by scientists. The surge in depression and anxiety among young people has been labeled a "second pandemic."
Computational neuroscientist Caterina Stamoulis, affiliated with Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, delved into understanding the varied responses of teenagers during the pandemic using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. The ABCD study, involving researchers at 21 sites across the United States, aims to unravel the developmental trajectory of teenagers' brains.
Initiated in 2015, the ABCD study already possessed brain scans from before the pandemic, offering a unique opportunity to understand the profound impact of a prolonged adverse event on participants' lives.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans at the project's inception measured blood flow, acting as a proxy for brain cell activity, in 1,414 teenagers. These scans recorded the behavior of specific brain regions, indicating their collaboration in what neuroscientists term a brain circuit.
Neuroscientist and engineer Vince Calhoun of Georgia Tech emphasized the utility of neuroimaging data in developing predictive models for future outcomes, encompassing resilience to stress and depression.
Surveys conducted from May 2020 onward assessed mental health, stress, and sadness among the teenagers. The team observed that individuals with weaker neural connections between certain brain regions, such as the prefrontal cortex and amygdala, before the pandemic, experienced heightened sadness and stress during the crisis.
Weaker and more fragile brain networks were indicative of greater difficulties during the pandemic, while stronger and more resilient networks correlated with better mental health outcomes, reduced stress, and lower levels of sadness.
Stamoulis and her colleagues plan to persist in their study of these brain circuits over time, recognizing the pivotal role played by positive experiences and environments as protective factors in the brain's development and wiring.