Structural changes in a brain region responsible for emotional regulation have been identified by Israeli researchers in healthy, young participants. Tel Aviv University (TAU) scientists who conducted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of 50 healthy subjects with a mean age of 30 who had never been infected with COVID-19 found that their amygdalas had undergone changes during the first closure. 

Israelis now isolated by a second closure

Israelis are now isolated by a second closure that began almost two weeks ago and could continue for another month or six weeks. The amygdala is involved in coping with stress and anxiety. 

Prof. Yaniv Assaf of TAU’s School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics at the Faculty of Life Sciences and colleagues compared the volume of the amygdala before and after the first closure. They found that the changes “are probably an expression in the brain of the uncertainty, anxiety and stress to which the subjects were exposure as a result of the pandemic and the closure.”

“It is very important that decisionmakers also address the emotional fallout of the pandemic and lockdowns,” said Assaf. 

The pandemic was a unique opportunity for researchers to compare brain scans of young, physically and mentally healthy people and examine how a global crisis affects brain structure, he continued. “In our routine research at Tel Aviv University, we engage in brain research, To this end, MRI scans in the brains of healthy subjects. We are constantly scanning subjects for different studies, and when COVID-19 suddenly broke out, we decided to go back to those subjects and detect changes in brain structure as a result of the pandemic.” 

As part of this, after Israel’s e first closure, the researchers re-scanned 50 subjects who participated in various studies a few months before the corona epidemic. The researchers also asked the participants to fill out questionnaires about their condition during the days of closure. The subjects were young men and women, about 30 years old on average with no chronic diseases.

The study illustrates the implications of a global event

Dr. Tom Sheinberg, who also participated in the study and specializes in brain and behavioral changes, said that the study illustrates the implications of a global event for young people who suddenly experience unfamiliar feelings of uncertainty, stress and anxiety. “We propose to decisionmakers to promote a positive outreach campaign that will promote trust [of health authorities] and the importance of adherence to guidelines, rather than a negative campaign that relies on intimidation and threats. It is obvious that such a campaign in the past did not bring about the desired behavior change in the population and may cause mental distress among citizens.”

Assaf concluded that “decisionmakers usually deal with the significance of damage to physical health and the economy, but it is very important to consider mental health when making decisions.

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