Differential impacts of social isolation and enriched environment on multi-sensory brain-wide functionality and network segregation

Taeyi You, Taekwan Lee (), Geun Ho Im, Won Beom Jung, Moon Sun Jang, Sangyeol Lee, Jongwook Lee, Chang-hoon Shin, Seong-Gi Kim, KilSoo Kim, Sungkwon Chung and Jung Hee Lee ()
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Taeyi You: Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine
Taekwan Lee: Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI)
Geun Ho Im: Institute for Basic Science (IBS)
Won Beom Jung: Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI)
Moon Sun Jang: Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine
Sangyeol Lee: Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI)
Jongwook Lee: Daegu-Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation Foundation (DGMIF)
Chang-hoon Shin: Daegu-Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation Foundation (DGMIF)
Seong-Gi Kim: Sungkyunkwan University
KilSoo Kim: Buk-gu
Sungkwon Chung: Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine
Jung Hee Lee: Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-22

Abstract: Abstract Environmental factors profoundly affect the brain’s sensory processing network, optimizing adaptive strategies for growth and survival. We hypothesized that sensory-specific functional responses and/or functional networks could be altered by manipulating environmental conditions. To elucidate how the environment influences brain development, we exposed male mice to two - socially isolated and enriched environments - during early life (from 4 to 11 weeks) and investigated their effects on mouse brain functionality using sensory stimulus-evoked BOLD fMRI and resting-state fMRI. Here, we show that social isolation leads to reduced segregation of brain networks, notably affecting the olfactory and visual networks. Conversely, the enriched environment maintains network segregation while enhancing higher order sensory and visual cortical functions. Additionally, enriched mice exhibited an improved sensorimotor functional response. Our combined use of sensory stimulus-evoked BOLD fMRI and resting-state fMRI revealed changes at local and global levels, providing a comprehensive perspective. This expands our understanding of how environmental factors influence brain functionality and highlights the importance of physical and social cues - such as tactile, visual, and olfactory - that may provide therapeutic insights for psychiatric disorders.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-62253-4

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