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Brain Science Advances 2022, 8(3): 183-196 https://doi.org/10.26599/BSA.2022.9050016
Review Article | Open Access | Issue | Published: 27 May 2022

The impact of social isolation on health and behavior in Drosophila melanogaster and beyond

Show Author's Information Aabha Vora1,  Andrew D. Nguyen1,  Carmen Spicer1,  Wanhe Li2( )
 Laboratory of Genetics, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10065, USA
 Department of Biology, Center for Biological Clocks Research, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
Keywords:
social isolation, Drosophila melanogaster, genetics, neurobiology, behavior, loneliness
Cite this article:
Vora A, Nguyen AD, Spicer C, et al. The impact of social isolation on health and behavior in Drosophila melanogaster and beyond. Brain Science Advances, 2022, 8(3): 183-196. https://doi.org/10.26599/BSA.2022.9050016
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Abstract Full text About this article

Many organisms, including humans, have evolved dynamic social behaviors to promote survival. Public health studies show that isolation from social groups is a major risk factor for adverse health outcomes in humans, but these studies lack mechanistic understanding. Animal models can provide insight into the molecular and neural mechanisms underlying how social isolation impacts health through investigations using genetic, genomic, molecular, and neuroscience methods. In this review, we discuss Drosophila melanogaster as a robust genetic model for studying the effects of social isolation and for developing a mechanistic understanding of the perception of social isolation and how it impacts health.


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The impact of social isolation on health and behavior in Drosophila melanogaster and beyond

Show Author's information Aabha Vora1, Andrew D. Nguyen1, Carmen Spicer1, Wanhe Li2( )
 Laboratory of Genetics, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10065, USA
 Department of Biology, Center for Biological Clocks Research, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA

Abstract

Many organisms, including humans, have evolved dynamic social behaviors to promote survival. Public health studies show that isolation from social groups is a major risk factor for adverse health outcomes in humans, but these studies lack mechanistic understanding. Animal models can provide insight into the molecular and neural mechanisms underlying how social isolation impacts health through investigations using genetic, genomic, molecular, and neuroscience methods. In this review, we discuss Drosophila melanogaster as a robust genetic model for studying the effects of social isolation and for developing a mechanistic understanding of the perception of social isolation and how it impacts health.

Keywords: social isolation, Drosophila melanogaster, genetics, neurobiology, behavior, loneliness

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Publication history
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Publication history

Received: 21 April 2022
Revised: 24 May 2022
Accepted: 27 May 2022
Published: 27 May 2022
Issue date: September 2022

Copyright

© The authors 2022.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr. Michael W. Young for his mentorship and support throughout the writing process. We would like to thank Dr. Zhaoyue Zhang for comments and suggestions.

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