title: White matter structures associated with loneliness in young adults.
abstract: Lonely individuals may exhibit dysfunction, particularly with respect to social empathy and self-efficacy. White matter (WM) structures related to loneliness have not yet been identified. We investigated the association between regional WM density (rWMD) using the UCLA Loneliness Scale in 776 healthy young students aged 18-27 years old. Loneliness scores were negatively correlated with rWMD in eight clusters: the bilateral inferior parietal lobule (IPL), right anterior insula (AI), posterior temporoparietal junction (pTPJ), left posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), and rostrolateral prefrontal cortex (RLPFC). The bilateral IPL, right AI, left pSTS, pTPJ, and RLPFC were strongly associated with Empathy Quotient (EQ), whereas the bilateral IPL, right AI, left pTPJ, and dmPFC were associated with General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) score. The neural correlates of loneliness comprise widespread reduction in WMD in areas related to self- and social cognition as well as areas associated with empathy and self-efficacy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Tohoku Pharmaceutical University, Sendai, Japan.|Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Ageing and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Seishu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.affiliation: Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Ageing and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Hikaru
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
authors.affiliation: Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Ageing and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.|Division of Medical Neuroimaging Analysis, Department of Community Medical Supports, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.|Department of Nuclear Medicine and Radiology, Institute of Development, Ageing and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Taki
authors.affiliation: Human and Social Response Research Division, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.|Smart Ageing International Research Center, Institute of Development, Ageing and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nouchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Ageing and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.|Division of Medical Neuroimaging Analysis, Department of Community Medical Supports, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.|Department of Adult Mental Health, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sekiguchi
authors.affiliation: Smart Ageing International Research Center, Institute of Development, Ageing and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kotozaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Ageing and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.|Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Department of General Systems Studies, The University of Tokyo.
authors.forename: Carlos Makoto
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Miyauchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Ageing and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.|Department of Psychiatry, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Kunio
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iizuka
authors.affiliation: Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Ageing and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.|Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryoichi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Ageing and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Takamitsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shinada
authors.affiliation: Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Ageing and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Ageing and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Sugiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hanawa
authors.affiliation: Smart Ageing International Research Center, Institute of Development, Ageing and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Araki
authors.affiliation: Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Ageing and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hashizume
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kunitoki
authors.affiliation: Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Ageing and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sassa
authors.affiliation: Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Ageing and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.|Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Ageing and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.|Smart Ageing International Research Center, Institute of Development, Ageing and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryuta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kawashima
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004645:Empathy / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008132:Loneliness / Q000523:psychology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008959:Models, Neurological; D008960:Models, Psychological; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012919:Social Behavior; D066127:White Matter / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult