Gene behind loneliness, study says

Sep 16 : Loneliness is a place that I know well …It's the distance between us …And the space inside ourselves …And emptiness.... Is the chattering in your head …It's the call of the living …And the race from life to death ….

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sang Annie Lenox.

Yes! Loneliness has consumed many lives; such people often die young and are very prone to sickness.

Scientist has find out the reason of loneliness; it is gene in the body which is responsible for less effective immune system in chronically lonely people. If the result is confirmed scientist may find a way for which lonely people are at greater risk such as heart disease, infection, age-related dementia, and certain types of cancer.

Loneliness comes and goes from our life but for some people it takes years to come out, they feel lonely even if they are surrounded by people. It is also known that chronically lonely people are less healthy.

A study led by Steve Cole, a molecular biologist at the University of California Los Angeles observed the 153 volunteers in their 50s and 60s, and asses them to University of California, Los Angeles, Loneliness Scale (UCLA LS; Russell, 1996) , and a test that measures loneliness by their responses to certain question. The researchers then studied the white blood cells of eight people who scored in the top 15 th percentile of loneliness and six who were at the bottom 15 th percentile.

After comparing 22,000 human genes 209 genes were highly expressed in the group of loneliest people. Most of the genes were found to control immunity in an individual. An interesting phenomenon was marked that genes that activate the immune system were over expressed whereas those regulate the production of antibodies and antiviral factors were found to be under expressed.

Earlier cortisol hormone was suspected to play a role in isolated and lonely people. But this study explained why lonely people suffer from inflammation inspite of having greater amount of anti inflammatory hormone cortisol. This was the first study of its type to go molecular level to know what effects lonely people.

Steve Cole said “What this study shows is that the biological impact of social isolation reaches down into some of our most basic internal processes the activity of our genes”.

He hopes to change the patients’ life by administering anti inflammatory drugs. "We can't change them into the happy, laughing life of the party," he says, "but we can keep them out of the coffin."

In future may if the same result is repeated, it will be possible to treat people from the worst effect of loneliness.