For mice - or for this man

Here's a no-brainer - even for mice.

A recent story about stroke research indicated that mice kept in solitary generally do worse than mice with partners. Now, mice aren't people. But I can tell you in my own experience that friends, fellow believers and family made a huge difference in my own recovery.

Mice that were socially isolated tended to have greater ischemic infarct volumes relative to mice paired with a stroke partner or a healthy partner. In addition, the solitary mice had significantly decreased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that helps support the survival of existing neurons.

(Generic mouse photo from the National Institutes of Health)