MENTAL, INTELLECT: Today’s efforts will bear fruit tomorrow

In fact, brain connectivity persists over time and its factors therefore have lasting effects. Restless sleep is correlated with lower connectivity of the default mode network and the somatomotor network. The default mode network being a group of brain regions that are active when we are at rest, without focusing on a specific task. The somatomotor network involving brain regions that are responsible for controlling movements and processing sensations from the body, such as touch and physical sensations.

Far beyond a snapshot

The study longitudinal study, described as “pioneering” tracked a person’s brain and behavioral activity for 5 months using brain scans and data from wearable devices and smartphones. “We wanted to go beyond isolated events,” says lead author Ana Triana, “because our behavior and mental states are constantly shaped by our environment and experiences. Yet little is known about how the brain’s functional connectivity responds to environmental, physiological, and behavioral changes. on different time scales, ranging from a few days to a few months “. Research reveals that:

• our brain does not react to everyday behaviors or events with immediate and isolated responses;
• brain activity changes in response to sleep patterns, physical activity, mood and breathing rate over several days;

• this suggests that an exercise session or a restless night can affect the brain and therefore different cognitive functions weeks later;

• there is also a close link between heart rate variability – a measure of the heart’s adaptability – and brain connectivity, particularly at rest: this observation suggests that relaxation, particularly through stress management techniques, could shape the wiring of our brain;
• physical activity positively influences the way brain regions interact, which helps explain its impact on memory and cognitive flexibility;
• subtle changes in mood and heart rate also leave their lasting imprints for up to fifteen days.

The research is one of the first to have carried out detailed monitoring over several days and weeks, using wearable technology.

2 distinct brain response patterns are observed:

1. a short-term response that occurs within 7 days or less: this response reflects rapid adaptations, such as how concentration is affected by poor sleep, but its “recovery” is rapid;
2. a longer-term “wave” of up to 15 days. The effects are more gradual and long-lasting, particularly in areas related to attention and memory.

This innovative approach inspires future research that combine brain data and everyday factors to optimize the assessment of mental health. Its methodology suggests that tracking brain changes in real time could help detect neurological disorders early, particularly mental health disorders whose early, subtle signs may go unnoticed.

Finally, these conclusions call for the adoption of healthy behaviors in the long term for lasting mental and cognitive performance.