People working in shifts undergo gradual shrinkage of two brain regions
PsyPost • • health
Key Points:
- Analysis of UK Biobank data revealed that shift workers experience small but significant brain volume loss in the left amygdala and right thalamus, with greater volume loss linked to increased frequency of shift work.
- Individuals who stopped shift work showed a halt in brain volume loss within 2.4 years, with some evidence of slight recovery, suggesting potential reversibility of these changes.
- Shift workers also exhibited microstructural brain degradation and scored lower on cognitive tests assessing memory, fluid intelligence, and processing speed compared to non-shift workers.
- The study highlights potential physiological impacts of shift work on brain structure but cautions that the findings do not establish causality and the detected volume changes were very small.
- Authors recommend monitoring and adjusting work schedules to minimize brain volume loss, emphasizing the need for further research given the study’s limitations and the healthier, less diverse UK Biobank sample.