Communicating with people as social beings is an indispensable part of our nature. But not all people are that open to socialization. So, how does living away from social affect the human brain? A new study published in Neurology has revealed a sad consequence of this.
The study, which analyzed data from nearly 500,000 people with an average age of 57 years, showed that social isolation is linked to changes in brain structure and cognition. In fact, it has been seen that this condition increases the risk of dementia in older adults. So why was this due?
The risk of dementia increases by 26%:
The study showed that brain regions that are constantly involved in social interactions are linked to the default mode network that is activated when we focus on the outside world, the subcortical network of memory, emotion, and motivation that helps us choose what to pay attention to, and the central executive network that allows us to regulate our emotions.
Likewise, neuroimaging data from 32,000 people revealed that socially isolated people had poorer cognition in areas such as memory and reaction time, and lower gray matter volume in many areas of the brain. It was discovered that the risk of dementia increased by 26% in those who were not alone but were socially isolating themselves.
While it was stated that a more comprehensive research should be done on why such an effect is seen in those who are in social isolation, some predictive factors on the subject were also shared. According to scientists, these effects may be the chronic stress that occurs in case of isolation and the loss of function of certain areas of the brain.
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