Loneliness changes activity patterns in the human brain

Loneliness changes activity patterns in the human brain

Chronic social isolation manifests itself in a change in human brain activity and ensures a more lonely self-representation.

Loneliness and the feeling of social isolation are particularly widespread among young adults, people in their mid-50s and the elderly, according to a study published by the University of California in the journal International Psychogeriatrics. In the past few months, the Corona pandemic, which has forced many people to work in their home offices and social distancing, has also caused more loneliness in other age groups, which in severe cases can trigger mental suffering and health problems.

Scientists at Stanford University and Dartmouth College have therefore investigated whether the feeling of loneliness causes changes in the brain. According to their publication in the Journal of Neuroscience, they used functional magnetic resonance tomography (fMRI) to analyze the brain activity of 43 test subjects while they were thinking about their own characteristics and those of celebrities and close friends.

Different patterns of brain activity:

It was shown that the pattern of brain activity varies greatly depending on the caregiver of the thoughts. When thinking about yourself, different circuits are active than when thinking about friends or celebrities. The patterns of thinking about another person become more similar to the patterns of thinking about yourself, the stronger the perceived connection with that person. According to the study authors, "our subjective relationship with these people is crucial for neural representation."

Medial prefrontal cortex:

In all subjects, the medial prefrontal cortex, which is also responsible for a person's self-image, was the central circuit when thinking about himself or other people. However, there were differences between lonely and socially well-integrated subjects. As the researchers report, "the lone participants seemed to have a 'lone' self-representation in the prefrontal cortex." This was reflected in the fact that their activation pattern is more decoupled from other circuits than in socially well integrated people.

In addition, in lonely people, the neural patterns for close friends and oneself differ more. As Andrea Courtney explains, "most of us activate a very similar constellation when thinking about ourselves or our friends." However, this is not the case with lonely people.

According to Meghan Meyer, "it seems that the representation of oneself in the brain of lonely people is more decoupled from that of other people - this is in line with what lonely people feel." The researchers therefore state that "our brain is both information about social Categories as well as about the connection with ourselves. ”According to the study results, chronic social isolation leads to a more lonely self-representation. However, it is unclear whether these neuronal differences are effects or causes of loneliness in humans.

International Psychogeriatrics, doi: doi.org/10.1017/S1041610218002120

Journal of Neuroscience, doi: 10.1523 / JNEUROSCI.2826-19.2020