People over 50 lost brain power during pandemic, research suggests

BOSTON - Older adults may have lost brain power during the COVID-19 pandemic, even if they were not infected.

A team in the U.K. analyzed neuropsychology data from 3,142 people aged 50 and older before the pandemic and during its first and second years.

They found a significant worsening of executive function and working memory in the first year of the pandemic.

In the second year of the pandemic, memory problems persisted.

People with memory issues before the pandemic experienced the worst decline, and alcohol use, loneliness, and depression may have also played a role.

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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