A new study published in Neurology has shown that loneliness in older adults increases the risk of developing dementia in the longer term, highlighting the importance of social connections in maintaining brain health as we age. In the study, led by Joel Salinas (NYU Grossman School of Medicine) and Sudha Seshadri (University of Texas), researchers analysed data and samples collected from the population-based Framingham Study cohorts. The Framingham Study was initiated by the United States Public Health Service in 1948, to investigate risk factors for cardiovascular disease, recruiting over 5000 people living in the town of Framingham, Massachusetts. Regular clinical examinations were carried out over the years, contributing to a valuable resource of data and samples which captures measures of vascular risk factors and cognitive impairment over a long period of time.
By analysing data and samples from the Framingham Study, which also included psychological measures of depression, anxiety and loneliness, the researchers were able to identify whether loneliness in older age was linked to developing dementia in later life. Focusing on 2308 participants with a mean age of 73 years, they observed that people who stated they felt lonely over 3 days a week were 53% more likely to develop dementia over the next 10 year period. Loneliness was associated with poorer executive function, lower total brain volume and greater measures of cerebral vascular disease. The risk of developing dementia was particularly marked in older adults whose baseline risk was relatively low due to age and absence of genetic risk factors. For these individuals, loneliness was associated with a tripling of dementia risk in later life, emphasising the importance of maintaining social connections for brain health.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-02-loneliness-dementia-older-adults.html
