Literally swelling: the brain of workaholics changes from constant work

An international team of researchers found that human brain, the workload of the company’s employees, who are constantly busy, changes over time.

It is noted that constant overtime work leads to disorders of the brain responsible for emotional regulation, working memory, and information processing. The study was based on observations of doctors’ work schedules and health status.

Researchers from South Korea’s Chung-Ang Institute monitored the health of 110 healthcare workers, of whom 32 participants worked overtime (52+ hours per week), the remaining 78 worked less than 52 hours a week.

Using voxel-based morphometrya method of anatomically measuring MRI findings, MRI scans, and three-dimensional brain scans of the participants, the researchers examined the levels of gray and white matter in each of the volunteers’ brains. After adjusting the results for age and gender, the researchers found that there was a significant difference in gray and white matter in 17 brain regions, including the middle frontal gyrus, insula, and superior temporal gyrus, among the group of overtime workers.

Based on the results of the analysis of three-dimensional brain scans of the participants, the researchers recorded that workaholics had a significant increase in the volume of the left caudal middle frontal gyrus by 19%, which is responsible for emotional regulation, working memory, information processing, and planning. At the same time, the main tasks of the superior temporal gyrus are auditory and language processing. Meanwhile, the insula plays a key role in processing pain and other sensory signals.

This study provides evidence of real structural changes in the brain. However, more research is needed to confirm the cause-and-effect relationship.

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The results of the study are published in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine

Source: Chung-Ang University; NewAtlas