Department News

Fassler Comments in Washington Post Story on Effects of Pandemic on Teenage Brains

December 2, 2022 by Lucy Gardner Carson

(DECEMBER 2, 2022) Clinical Professor of Psychiatry David Fassler, M.D., commented in a Washington Post article about a study showing that the stress of pandemic lockdowns prematurely aged the brains of teenagers by at least three years, and in ways similar to changes observed in children who have faced chronic stress and adversity.

David Fassler, M.D.

(DECEMBER 2, 2022) Clinical Professor of Psychiatry David Fassler, M.D., commented in a Washington Post article about a study showing that the stress of pandemic lockdowns prematurely aged the brains of teenagers by at least three years, and in ways similar to changes observed in children who have faced chronic stress and adversity. Published in Biological Psychiatry: Global Open Science, this study was the first to compare scans of the physical structures of teenagers’ brains from before and after the pandemic started and to document significant differences, according to the authors. “This is a useful initial study,” Fassler commented. “I expect the results will inform the design of future research initiatives.”

This study was also covered by several other media outlets, including the Toronto Sun and ExBulletin.

Read full story at Washington Post