Cumulative Loneliness Linked to Accelerated Memory Aging in Older Adults – Neuroscience News

Summary: Feeling lonely for an extended period of time was associated with faster memory loss among those over 65.

Source: University of Michigan

Prolonged solitude in adults over 65 may be a major risk factor for accelerated memory aging, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

“We found that feeling lonely for a longer period of time was associated with faster memory loss, suggesting that it’s never too late in life to work to reduce feelings of loneliness in order to promote healthy aging.” support,” said Lindsay Kobayashi, assistant professor of epidemiology and senior author of the study published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.

Kobayashi and colleagues analyzed interview data from more than 9,000 adults over age 50 from the US Health and Retirement Study from 1996 to 2016. They evaluated participants’ cumulative solitude durations from 1996 to 2004 in relation to changes in memory function over the following 12 years 2004 to 2016.

Xuexin Yu, a PhD student in epidemiology and the study’s lead author, said the link between loneliness and memory aging is strongest in those aged 65 and older, with women experiencing greater and faster memory loss than men.

“Women tend to have larger social networks than men, which can make women feel less lonely than men but more vulnerable when experiencing long-term loneliness,” Yu said. “Social stigma and a reluctance to admit loneliness may also be a factor in this observed gender association.”

Loneliness and objective social isolation are important factors in the health of older adults, and researchers say reducing midlife loneliness may help maintain memory function longer.

Along with Yu and Kobayashi, Ashly Westrick, a postdoctoral researcher at UM’s Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, is a co-author of the study.

About this news from aging and loneliness research

Author: press office
Source: University of Michigan
Contact: Press Office – University of Michigan
Picture: The image is in the public domain

Original research: Open access.
“Cumulative Loneliness and Subsequent Memory Function and Decline Rate in Adults Age ≥50 in the United States, 1996 to 2016” by Xuexin Yu et al. Alzheimer’s & Dementia

abstract

See also

Cumulative Loneliness and Subsequent Memory Function and Decline Rate in Adults Age ≥ 50 Years in the United States, 1996 to 2016

introduction

The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between the duration of loneliness and memory function over a period of 20 years.

methods

Data were from 9032 adults ≥ 50 years of age in the Health and Retirement Study. Loneliness status (yes vs. no) was assessed every two years from 1996 to 2004 and its duration was categorized as never, 1 time point, 2 time points, and ≥ 3 time points. Episodic memory was assessed from 2004 to 2016 as a combination of immediate and delayed recall attempts combined with proxy accounts of memory. Mixed effects linear regression models were fitted.

Results

Longer duration of loneliness was associated with lower memory scores (P < 0.001) and a faster decay rate (P < 0.001). The association was stronger in adults ≥ 65 years than in those < 65 years (triple interaction P = 0.013) and was stronger in females than in males (triple interaction P = 0.002).

discussion

Cumulative loneliness may be a prominent risk factor for accelerated memory aging, particularly in women ≥65 years of age.

To mark

• Longer durations of solitude were associated with accelerated memory aging.
• The association was stronger in women than men and in older adults than younger adults.
• Reducing loneliness in mid to late life can help maintain memory function.