Bogota (AFP)

Will our relationships between humans return to what they were? Rodolfo Llinas, a great brain expert, has no doubts: once the pandemic has been overcome, kisses and hugs will be in order again and confinement will not leave any trace on our brain functioning.

At 85 years old and with his untidy white hair which gives him the false air of Einstein, this naturalized Colombian neurophysiologist is among the most famous in the world. He worked for Nasa and headed the physiology and neuroscience department of the New York University School of Medicine, where he is still a professor.

Rodolfo Llinas was approached for the Nobel Prize in Medicine.

His decades of research on the human brain, particularly on neurons, allow him to affirm that the harsh experiences generated by the new coronavirus will not be forgotten.

Confined to his house in Cape Cod (northeastern United States), where he spends time writing and observing the stars after dark, he shared his thoughts on the impact of pandemic.

- What can the neurophysiology of Covid-19 say?

Although it is an extremely complicated virus, it is not as serious as a bacterial infection would be (...) it is momentary, it will pass, it is not a problem as deep as it could be a war, during which people hate and kill each other.

- Could this virus change the way we link to each other?

No no no. When it is over, after four or five months, maybe a little more, it will be forgotten as all pandemics have been forgotten (...) It is only a problem. It causes death, sadness, temporary, local difficulties and then they disappear.

- Do you think people will be reluctant to direct contact?

Yes, it will scare them for a few weeks. But the relationship with the other is extremely important. Once people can kiss without anything happening to them, they will start kissing again. How else would we survive?

- What effects can confinement have on the brain?

No. On the condition of not committing absurdities. Not working doesn't damage the brain. It's better to use it, that's for sure. People at home how to do things, invent things, write things down. It never hurts when it comes to months, years yes, but two or three months are easily forgotten.

- Some complain that being locked up disturbs their sleep or their concentration.

Yes of course. It lasts three or four days. Then, the system sends everything to waltz (...) These are momentary hysteria. People say they are dying of boredom, but that is not true. Boredom is not deadly.

- What would you recommend to maintain good mental health during confinement?

There is something called thinking. And when you think, you can write or draw or build. You have to imagine it as a forced vacation. Instead of starting to cry, think, take the time because these are really holidays at home. The problem is that people want vacations when they want to, not forced vacations.

© 2020 AFP