Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Aging01:26

Aging

561
Aging is a complex biological phenomenon influenced by various processes that affect cellular and systemic functions. Several prominent theories attempt to explain its mechanisms, highlighting cellular limitations, oxidative damage, and hormonal changes as central factors in aging.
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
561
Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Adulthood01:27

Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Adulthood

744
Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development outlines a series of stages through which individuals progress across the lifespan. Each stage involves a psychosocial conflict that significantly influences personal growth and well-being. Three key stages — intimacy versus isolation, generativity versus stagnation, and integrity versus despair — highlight the developmental challenges faced in adulthood.
Intimacy Versus Isolation in Early Adulthood
Individuals in early...
744
The Effect of Aging on Tissues01:19

The Effect of Aging on Tissues

3.1K
Several body functions deteriorate with age. The external signs of aging are easily identifiable. For example, the skin becomes dry, less elastic, and thins out, forming wrinkles. The skin of the face begins to appear looser due to a decrease in the levels of elastic and collagen fibers in the connective tissue. Additionally, melanin production in the hair follicle decreases with age, resulting in gray hair. Moreover, the senses of sight and hearing decline, so glasses and hearing aids may...
3.1K
Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age01:27

Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age

174
Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...
174
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Distribution01:00

Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Distribution

209
Drug distribution in the human body is influenced by several factors, including plasma protein concentration, body composition, blood flow, tissue-protein concentration, and tissue fluid pH. Among these, changes in plasma protein concentration and body composition due to aging significantly affect how drugs are distributed within the body. Specifically, aging is associated with a decrease in albumin levels by about 10% and an increase in α1-acid glycoprotein levels. These alterations are...
209
Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination02:55

Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination

94.8K
Humans are very diverse and although we share many similarities, we also have many differences. The social groups we belong to help form our identities (Tajfel, 1974). These differences may be difficult for some people to reconcile, which may lead to prejudice toward people who are different. Prejudice is a negative attitude and feeling toward an individual based solely on one’s membership in a particular social group (Allport, 1954; Brown, 2010). Prejudice is common against people who...
94.8K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Emotions Are Folk Concepts in a Predicting Brain.

Brain sciences·2026
Same author

Childhood threat exposure and poor emotional awareness predict neural correlates of emotion regulation in adolescent girls.

Emotion (Washington, D.C.)·2026
Same author

Functional brain organization is stable within individuals across years.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Emotional Attention Moderates the Link between Allostatic-interoceptive System Organization and Depression in Adolescents.

Affective science·2026
Same author

Understanding the Affective and Mental Health Outcomes of Meditation Interventions: The Role of Individual Differences in Self-compassion.

Mindfulness·2026
Same author

Striatal Prediction Error Tracking Moderates the Influence of Social Exposure on Adolescent Substance Use Curiosity.

Human brain mapping·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 7, 2026

Validation of a Psychosocial Intervention on Body Image in Older People: An Experimental Design
07:40

Validation of a Psychosocial Intervention on Body Image in Older People: An Experimental Design

Published on: May 31, 2021

3.8K

Loneliness exacerbates age differences in the -allostatic-interoceptive system during induced affect.

Ruofan Ma1, Taylor N West1, Gretchen E Wulfekuhle1

  • 1Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, United States.

Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
|December 31, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Loneliness worsens age-related brain changes in the allostatic interoceptive system (AIS), impacting physiological regulation. This exacerbation is particularly evident in how the brain dynamically responds to social cues as people age.

Keywords:
agingallostasisbrain networksdynamic functional connectivityinteroceptionloneliness

More Related Videos

Loneliness Assuaged: Eye-Tracking an Audience Watching Barrage Videos
06:45

Loneliness Assuaged: Eye-Tracking an Audience Watching Barrage Videos

Published on: May 29, 2020

4.5K
Social Isolation Model: A Noninvasive Rodent Model of Stress and Anxiety
04:20

Social Isolation Model: A Noninvasive Rodent Model of Stress and Anxiety

Published on: November 11, 2022

5.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 7, 2026

Validation of a Psychosocial Intervention on Body Image in Older People: An Experimental Design
07:40

Validation of a Psychosocial Intervention on Body Image in Older People: An Experimental Design

Published on: May 31, 2021

3.8K
Loneliness Assuaged: Eye-Tracking an Audience Watching Barrage Videos
06:45

Loneliness Assuaged: Eye-Tracking an Audience Watching Barrage Videos

Published on: May 29, 2020

4.5K
Social Isolation Model: A Noninvasive Rodent Model of Stress and Anxiety
04:20

Social Isolation Model: A Noninvasive Rodent Model of Stress and Anxiety

Published on: November 11, 2022

5.4K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Gerontology
  • Psychology

Background:

  • Loneliness is linked to age-related health declines via brain and body pathways.
  • The allostatic interoceptive system (AIS) regulates bodily functions in response to social and emotional stimuli.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how loneliness interacts with age to affect the static and dynamic functional connectivity of the AIS.
  • To examine brain responses during socially salient situations in relation to loneliness and aging.

Main Methods:

  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used on 73 participants who reported their loneliness levels.
  • Participants underwent fMRI during tasks involving neutral, pleasant, and unpleasant social conditions.
  • Graph-theoretical metrics (participation coefficient and within-module degree) quantified AIS functional connectivity.

Main Results:

  • Static AIS functional connectivity showed a positive association with age.
  • High loneliness exacerbated age-related decreases in static AIS within-module degree during pleasant social conditions.
  • Dynamic AIS connectivity metrics demonstrated steeper negative associations with age in lonelier individuals across pleasant and unpleasant conditions.

Conclusions:

  • Loneliness may accelerate age-related alterations in brain systems crucial for physiological regulation.
  • These findings highlight how social factors like loneliness can impact neurobiological aging processes.
  • The study underscores the importance of the AIS in mediating the relationship between social experiences, aging, and health.