What the Pandemic Is Doing to Our Brains

These changes are not just a product of our imaginations. “It’s all real,” says Chair of the Department of Neuroscience at Carleton University Dr. Kim Hellemans, who studies the effects of stress on the brain. “Lack of social interaction, more work happening, always on the screen. All of these things are contributing to a loss of your normal cognitive functioning. We’re all overwhelmed.”

An abundance of research has shown that the stress of isolation and loneliness for social creatures such as humans has a damaging effect on our grey matter. Mice that were isolated for 30 days showed smaller nerve cells in certain parts of the brain, including the hippocampus, which plays an important role in learning and memory, the somatosensory cortex, which processes sensory information and the motor cortex, which is responsible for voluntary movement. Studies of rodents have shown that long-term social isolation is associated with behavioral abnormalities that read much like a list of anecdotal global pandemic effects: impaired concentration and memory, depression, difficulty making decisions.

After a year of brain fog, forgetting things, surging emotions and depression, will we ever regain what we’ve lost? How can we get our mojo back? “The beautiful thing about us as a species is that we are highly adaptive and innovative,” says Dr. Hellemans. “The brain is very plastic. It has a lot of processes built into it in order to continue to adapt to new environments.”

That’s good news, however these changes aren’t going to disappear with a snap of the fingers and a maskless night out conversing with strangers. Regaining energy and a sense of normalcy will take time. Just as our brains worked to adjust to our current state of life, they must go through the same process to adjust to the post-COVID reality. “There’s going to be a reverse culture shock when we enter society,” says Dr. Hellemans. “We’re all going to get tired. It’s like a re-entry to face-to-face conversation.” This adjustment will look different for everyone. “It’ll exist on a continuum from people who bounce back right away to [others who may need] more support, medicine and therapy,” she says.

Taking stock of the habits that have gotten you through the pandemic is the first step in navigating the coming challenges of re-opening, says Dr. Hellemans. Whether it’s long walks around the neighborhood, creating boundaries around work or even avoiding emotionally triggering movies, the workarounds we’ve put in place to protect ourselves and manage our emotions over the past year will be habits that can help sustain us through this new round of changes. “What are the habits you would like to maintain? Which should go by the wayside? It’s about building back better,” she says.

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