WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - New research published in Nature Mental Health revealed that loneliness not only impacts the emotional well-being but also the brain health.
'I have always been interested in psychosocial factors that affect memory and cognitive functioning across the lifespan, from middle age to later adulthood,' said study author Martina Luchetti, an assistant professor at Florida State University College of Medicine.
'In recent years, I focused my research on loneliness and social relational aspects that affect the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia because our relationships-and how we are satisfied with them-impact how we function daily. Importantly, organizations such as the World Health Organization and the U.S. Surgeon General have recognized the public crisis of loneliness and are taking action to raise awareness and understand its consequences for our society'.
The research team monitored data of about 608,000 individuals across the world to uncover the association between loneliness and dementia. The participants, who were cognitively health at the start, were asked questions about how often they felt a lack of companionship, left out, or socially isolated. Their feelings of loneliness were measured using standard scales, such as the UCLA Loneliness Scale.
Over the course of the study, the individuals underwent frequent assessments of cognitive health, which were evaluated using clinical diagnoses, neuropsychological tests, or self-reports of doctor-diagnosed conditions.
The researchers found that the participants who reported feeling lonely were 31 percent more likely to develop dementia compared to those who did not feel the same. Further, they noted that loneliness increased the likelihood of milder cognitive decline, such as difficulties with memory or problem-solving, by 15 percent.
'The findings of this meta-analysis confirm that feeling lonely increases the risk of dementia-including cause-specific dementias, such as Alzheimer's and vascular dementia-and extends the risk to cognitive impairment prior to dementia,' Luchetti noted.
'There are different types and sources of loneliness that can affect cognitive symptoms across the dementia continuum. Addressing loneliness and promoting a feeling of connectedness could be protective for cognitive health in later life.'
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