Loneliness and Brain Rhythmic Activity in Resting State: an Exploratory Report

Overview

Journal Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci

Specialties Neurology
Social Sciences

Date 2024 Aug 3

PMID 39096513

Authors

Xin Hu

Xufang Wang

Changquan Long

Xu Lei

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Recent studies using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging have shown that loneliness is associated with altered blood oxygenation in several brain regions. However, the relationship between loneliness and changes in neuronal rhythm activity in the brain remains unclear. To evaluate brain rhythm, we conducted an exploratory resting-state electroencephalogram (EEG) study of loneliness. We recorded resting-state EEG signals from 139 participants (94 women; mean age = 19.96 years) and analyzed power spectrum density (PSD) and functional connectivity (FC) in both the electrode and source spaces. The PSD analysis revealed significant correlations between loneliness scores and decreased beta-band powers, which may indicate negative emotion, attention, reward, and/or sensorimotor processing. The FC analysis revealed a trend of alpha-band FC associated with individuals' loneliness scores. These findings provide new insights into the neural basis of loneliness, which will facilitate the development of neurobiologically informed interventions for loneliness.

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