Loneliness affects memory, but does not accelerate deterioration

The loneliness affects the memory of older people, but does not speed up cognitive impairment over time, data from a major European study that followed more than 10,000 people for seven years suggests.

The authors, belonging to the Rosario University (Colombia), the University Clinic of Navarra and the University of Valencia (Spain), and the Karolinska Institute (Sweden), suggest that periodic assessment of loneliness could be included in reviews to evaluate the mental capacities of older adults. They add that this approach could be one of several strategies that health professionals could develop to promote optimal aging.

The findings, published in the peer-reviewed journal ‘Aging & Mental Health’, come from an analysis of the SHARE (Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe) study, which surveyed 10,217 people aged between 65 and 94 from 12 countries on the continent.

The initial impact versus progressive deterioration

Participants who reported high levels of loneliness performed worse in memory tests at the beginning of the research period. However, lonely people’s ability to remember information decreased at a similar rate during the follow-up period as that of participants who were not lonely.

Loneliness has become an important public health problem due to its impact on the longevity, mental and physical health, and well-being. These results reinforce the strong relationship between loneliness and brain function in older people, while consolidating the theory that isolation is not necessarily a risk factor for dementia.

“The finding that loneliness significantly impacted memory, but not the speed of its deterioration over timeit was a surprising result,” says the main author, Dr. Luis Carlos Venegas-Sanabriafrom the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the Universidad del Rosario.

“This suggests that loneliness could play a more important role in the initial state of memory than in its progressive deterioration. “The study highlights the importance of addressing loneliness as a significant factor in the context of cognitive performance in older adults,” he adds.

Loneliness and social isolation are among the most relevant risk factors for dementia. However, data on the relationship between loneliness and cognitive function they are inconsistent. Some studies suggest that loneliness accelerates cognitive decline over time, while others have found no significant relationship.

X-ray of loneliness in southern Europe

The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of loneliness on How memory changes over a period of seven years, specifically immediate and deferred memory. The analysis used data spanning 2012 to 2019 from SHARE, a longitudinal survey launched in 2002 that examines the health and aging of Europeans over 50.

Participants included people from countries such as Germany, Spain, Sweden and Slovenia. The 12 countries were grouped into four geographic regions: Central, South, North and East. Anyone with a history of dementia, including dementia, was excluded. Alzheimer’sas well as those whose activities related to daily living were “impaired” (which was classified as people with some disability in activities such as walking, eating or showering).

Memory was evaluated as ability to recall information immediately and after a time delay. The tests included participants having to remember as many words as possible in one minute. This was based on a list of 10 words that was read aloud.

Loneliness was defined as “feeling alone”. The researchers also assessed physical activity, participation in social activities, depression scores, diabetes and other factors that could influence the research. The results showed that southern European countries reported the highest levels of loneliness (12%), followed by the eastern region (9%), the central region (6%) and the northern region (9%).

In general, the majority of participants (92%) reported medium or low levels of loneliness at the beginning of the research. The group with high levels (8%) was older, mostly female and reported worse health problems. Additionally, they had a higher prevalence of depression, hypertension and diabetes. Those in the high category had lower immediate well-being and delayed recall scores at the start of the study compared to those with lower levels of loneliness.

However, they experienced a rapid memory deteriorationsimilar to that of participants in the low and medium loneliness categories. This marked decrease was observed between the evaluations carried out in the third and seventh years.

The authors highlight that their research considered loneliness as something that did not change over time. However, they point out that, in real life, the perception of loneliness can vary “in response to changes in personal or environmental characteristics throughout life.”