Social isolation and learning and memory (article)
“Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine working with animal models report in the journal Neuron that during social isolation, astrocytes become hyperactive, which in turn suppresses brain circuit function and memory formation. Importantly, inhibiting astrocyte hyperactivity reversed the cognitive deficits associated with social deprivation.
"One thing we have learned during the COVID pandemic is that social isolation can influence cognitive functions, as previous studies suggested," said co-first author, Yi-Ting Cheng, graduate student in Dr. Benjamin Deneen's lab at Baylor. "This motivated co-first author Dr. Junsung Woo and me to further investigate the effects of social isolation in the brain, specifically in astrocytes."
Astrocytes play diverse roles in the brain such as supporting the functions of neurons, participating in synapse formation and function, releasing neurotransmitters and making the blood-brain barrier.
"Under normal group housing conditions, astrocytes facilitate and promote circuit function and memory," said Deneen, professor and Dr. Russell J. and Marian K. Blattner Chair of neurosurgery and director of the Center for Cancer Neuroscience at Baylor. He also is the corresponding author of the work. "However, we found that during social deprivation, astrocytes in the brain region known as the hippocampus actually suppress circuit function and memory formation. The broad conclusion is that astrocyte function is tuned to social experiences."”
My Takeaways:
This article shows research that suggests social isolation can affect learning and memory deficits in a negative way. Through a certain cell (astrocyte), social deprivation can lead to inhibition of certain neural pathways associated with learning and cognitive processing.
During the COVID pandemic, many students have shared a common complaint of the online classroom being a difficult place to study and these findings can certainly contribute to the explanation of doing so. Oftentimes we learn best when we’re able to be provided with social interaction and the best being face to face and in-person at that.
Of course this is only a fragment of the full picture of all the things that affect learning, however perhaps next time you reach a little slump in studying try hanging out with your friends or having a nice social night with a group of people! Maybe catch up with one particular friend that you’ve been promising a meal with for a long time. It may help you with your studies as well :)
Do you find yourself studying/learning better with in-person or online learning?
Full article is here!
#Learning #Social #Isolation
@sunnyWriting4806
I find that i learn better online. Although i wonder if the reason astrocytes brcome hyperactive and only then negatively effect some is because the same set of pathways associated with learning are also used for social development, although for some that have developed socially later on saw less effect because that set of pathways found it had to take on more of an independent route rather then be i guess like multi modal here people say that word a lot so maybe iys doing that
@ayeyaeyaaaaaaaa
Definitely, research although generally reaching in its conclusion doesn't apply to everyone individually. I'm sure there are also many cases in which online learning can be more effective than in-person learning. Sometimes the lack of distractions in a classroom does help!
@sunnyWriting4806
heyyyyyy again sunnyyyy :p You seriously have some awesome post here! Thanks for all your work putting these togther! As far as where I work better inperson or online is quite intresting for me as I was homeschooled for alot of my schooling (not covid related) I would have to say that I do work better in an online setting, where I can take my time, do things at my own pace, take breaks when I need to, move around, have less distraction, have flexibily, learn about my own intrests, i mean the list goes on. I think that the social componet is important tho. It can be easy to get trapped in the world online and neglect the real world. With online learning you have to make a consious effort to go out and be social. If social things are hard for you like they are for me then you can sometimes get stuck. So making time to go have a talk with you grandmother or not skipping your weekly vollenteering is importnant. When you go to inperson school, you are forced to be in a social setting and its more accessable to have your social interactions with friends and teachers. I think that if you can find a balance of socialness and having online school it can be benifical for some as it was for me, though i understnad that its not for everyone. While I'm in college rn and taking some in person classes, I see some benifits but I deeply miss my homeschool set up as it was so adapted to how I learn best. For me I find that I am more socially isolated then when I was in online learning. What are your thoughts on this sunny? How do you work best? How important are your social interactions to you?
@Estrellitaa
Thank you for your high praise! You flatter me honestly! You bring up a great point regarding a benefit of online learning in that it can be set on your pace and a lot more flexible compared to in-person learning. For me, as someone who grew up with in-person schooling I feel like I have been raised and primarily taught how to learn in an in-person setting with social interaction. Therefore it feels more comfortable for me. I will say during the COVID pandemic I enjoyed a greater freedom and relaxation handling my work, however I did have a couple of mistakes because I simply couldn't pace myself correctly as an in-person schedule often did. I like the structure of the in-person learning, but I know for many people the online setting really did give them a breather!