Social connection and gene regulation during the COVID-19 pandemic: Divergent patterns for online and in-person interaction.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Social connection has been linked to reduced disease risk and enhanced antiviral immunity, but it is unclear whether online social connections have similar effects to those previously documented for in-person/offline social relationships, or whether online connections can substitute for in-person social relations when the latter are restricted. We examined this question in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing specifically on an immune system gene regulation profile known as the conserved transcriptional response to adversity (CTRA), which is characterized by up-regulation of proinflammatory genes and down-regulation of genes linked to innate antiviral responses and antibody production.

Methods

We analyzed CTRA RNA profiles in blood samples from 142 healt

SUBMITTER: Snodgrass JG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9335856 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature