Scientists show a sort of signature in the brains of lonely people
This holiday season will be a lonely one for many people as social distancing due to COVID-19 continues, and it is important to understand how isolation affects our health. A new study shows a sort of signature in the brains of lonely people that make them distinct in fundamental ways, based on variations in the volume of different brain regions as well as based on how those regions communicate with one another across brain networks.
A team of researchers examined the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data, genetics and psychological self-assessments of approximately 40,000 middle-aged and older adults who volunteered to have their information included in the UK Biobank: an open-access database available to health scientists around the world. They then compared the MRI data of participants who reported often feeling lonely with those who did not.
Brain scans, surveys help scientists paint neural portrait of loneliness
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Large numbers of adults, young and old, have reported feelings of loneliness during the pandemic. File Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
Dec. 14 (UPI) Using brain scans, genetic analysis and psychological self-assessments, scientists have managed to render a kind of neural portrait of loneliness.
Researchers hope their efforts, detailed Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications, will help illuminate the impacts of isolation on human health.
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For the study, scientists relied on an open-access database called U.K. Biobank.
The researchers sourced magnetic resonance imaging and genetics data, as well as psychological self-assessments, from some 40,000 middle-aged and older adults.