Just untangling the conclusions of this Swedish study was a brain workout in its own right, a downright 'how much wood would a woodchuck chuck..." sort of puzzle:
Neither high neuroticism nor low extraversion alone was related to significantly higher incidence of dementia. However, among people with an inactive or socially isolated lifestyle, low neuroticism was associated with a decreased dementia risk (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.27-0.96). When compared to persons with high neuroticism and high extraversion, a decreased risk of dementia was detected in individuals with low neuroticism and high extraversion (HR = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.28-0.94), but not among persons with low neuroticism and low extraversion (HR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.57-1.60), nor high neuroticism and low extraversion (HR = 0.97 95% CI = 0.57-1.65).(1)
Got it? So do we fret and socialize, stay home and calmly knit, or placidly go out drinking with our buddies? Don't freak out while you discuss this conundrum with your friends because, as you will see once you sort out the various possibilities here, being a Buddha of a buddy is your best bet for the brightest brain.
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Wang, HX, et al. Personality and lifestyle in relation to dementia incidence. Neurology. 2009 Jan 20;72(3):253-9.
Showing posts with label Social isolation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Social isolation. Show all posts
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Saturday, April 12, 2008
DNA loves company
We can't change them into the happy, laughing life of the party, but we can keep them out of the coffin.
---Steve Cole, genomics researcher at UCLA
The chronically lonely are known to be more likely to suffer from ill health. A recent study suggests that this state of mind actually affects gene action in a way that decreases immune response and increases inflammation.
Dr. Cole and his colleagues set out to find the biological basis for the detrimental effects of loneliness on health. They studied the DNA of a group of 153 volunteers, looking for abnormal gene expression as related to the self-expressed degree of loneliness in their subjects.
The UCLA Loneliness Scale was used to determine just how isolated these folks felt. Then DNA gleaned from white blood cells of the 8 top lonely scorers was compared with the DNA from the 6 subjects most connected to others. The researchers found 209 genes abnormally expressed in the lonely genome, many involved in activation of the immune system and production of inflammation. The genes in charge of inflammation were overexpressed, and those that regulate the production of antibodies against bacteria and viruses were underexpressed.
These results may explain why isolation and loneliness increases vulnerability to infection and cardiovascular disease. Dr. Cole theorizes that strategies that decrease inflammation may promote better health amongst the isolated.
---Steve Cole, genomics researcher at UCLA
The chronically lonely are known to be more likely to suffer from ill health. A recent study suggests that this state of mind actually affects gene action in a way that decreases immune response and increases inflammation.
Dr. Cole and his colleagues set out to find the biological basis for the detrimental effects of loneliness on health. They studied the DNA of a group of 153 volunteers, looking for abnormal gene expression as related to the self-expressed degree of loneliness in their subjects.
The UCLA Loneliness Scale was used to determine just how isolated these folks felt. Then DNA gleaned from white blood cells of the 8 top lonely scorers was compared with the DNA from the 6 subjects most connected to others. The researchers found 209 genes abnormally expressed in the lonely genome, many involved in activation of the immune system and production of inflammation. The genes in charge of inflammation were overexpressed, and those that regulate the production of antibodies against bacteria and viruses were underexpressed.
These results may explain why isolation and loneliness increases vulnerability to infection and cardiovascular disease. Dr. Cole theorizes that strategies that decrease inflammation may promote better health amongst the isolated.
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