Study shows that social isolation affects the brain and cognition

A study published in the scientific journal ScienceDirect confirmed what had already been a hypothesis. Lack of interaction with others, social isolation, can cause structural changes in the brain, with cognitive loss. The effects may be greater in older adults, with an increased risk of dementia.

Neuroscientists from China and the United Kingdom conducted the research “Common Brain Networks Essential for Human Social Interactions” who mapped brain regions associated with social interaction in 7,000 volunteers.

All individuals who lived alone, had less than monthly social contact or participated in social activities less than once per week, were considered socially isolated.

By analyzing these mind maps – and comparing them to a database – the scientists concluded that the brain regions involved in human interaction are linked to networks responsible for learning, knowledge formation, and other important brain processing.

According to them, it became clear that the lack of interaction with others tampered with the standard brain network, which is triggered when a person is not focused on the outside world; a prominent network, responsible for choosing what to pay attention to; The subcortical network, which includes memory, emotion, and motivation; In addition to the central executive network responsible for directing focus and regulating emotions.

“Socially isolated people have lower cognition, including memory and reaction time, and reduced gray matter volume in many parts of the brain,” the researchers noted in an article in the journal. Australian Portal Conversation. “We also found a link between lower gray matter volumes and specific genetic processes involved in Alzheimer’s disease.”

Despite this, the scientists point out, complex studies still need to be done to determine the deeper effects that social isolation brings to the brain. They say that mood states, such as stress, may be related to the lack of use of certain areas of the brain, which leads to the loss of some of their functions.

“It is possible that if we do not participate regularly in social discussions, for example, our use of language and other cognitive processes such as attention and memory will decline. This can affect our ability to do many complex cognitive tasks. Memory and attention are critical to complex cognitive thinking general,” they add.