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A study in Canada found a common theme in brain scans of single people.
McGill University researchers say there is a special type of signature in the brains of single people, which is due to variations in volume in different regions of the organ and how they communicate through brain networks. .
The study was based on 40,000 middle-aged and older adults, the researchers looking at magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data as well as the participants’ genetic and psychological self-reports.
The MRI data of those who reported feeling lonely often was compared to that of those who did not. According to the results, there were several differences in the brains of people who self-reported.
The differences were based on the area known as the Default Network, the regions involved in inner thoughts, including thinking about others, memories, imagination, and future planning.
The results showed that the default networks of single people were more robustly connected. The volume of gray matter in the regions of the default network was greater in single people, according to the study.
Additionally, loneliness was associated with differences in the fornix, the nerve fibers that carry signals from the hippocampus – a complex brain structure that plays a major role in learning and memory – to the default network. The structure of this fiber was best preserved in single people, according to the study.
Researcher Nathan Spreng, who was the lead author of the study, said, “In the absence of desired social experiences, single individuals may be biased towards internally directed thoughts such as recalling or imagining experiences. social. We know that these cognitive abilities are mediated by brain regions of the default network. Thus, this increased focus on self-reflection and possibly on imagined social experiences would naturally engage the memory-based functions of the network by default.
Lead author of the study, Danilo Bzdok, added: “We are only just beginning to understand the impact of loneliness on the brain. Expanding our knowledge in this area will help us better appreciate the urgency of reducing loneliness in today’s society.
The research was published in the journal Nature Communications.
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