Regular social engagement linked to healthier brain microstructure in older adults:

“Older people who report greater levels of social engagement have more robust gray matter in regions of the brain relevant in dementia, according to new research led by scientists at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.”

The image: “Stimulus (input) of any kind such as smell or vision goes to the brain for further processing, so that a human being can identify a particular smell or picture. Based on the accurate recognition of a cue, responses are made by our bodies. The type of stimuli that occur in settings of social interaction are called social stimuli. They are processed by specific brain regions known as the 'social brain.' The brain gray matter regions we found have known roles in dementia. Since greater social engagement is associated with greater microstructural integrity of these regions, their brain cellular health is maintained, and therefore dementia can be prevented or delayed.”