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Factors Affecting Cognitive Baseline
Factors identified in the study that influence initial memory performance (Baseline) compared to rate of decline.
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Loneliness may be eroding older adults' memory, new research reveals
Feeling lonely may take a toll on older adults’ memory — but it may not speed up cognitive decline, according to a new study. Researchers from Colombia, Spain and Sweden analyzed data from more than 10,000 adults ages 65 to 94 across 12 European countries and found those who reported higher levels of loneliness did worse on memory tests at the start of the study, according to research published this month in the journal Aging & Mental Health. Over a seven-year period, however, memory decline occurred at a similar rate regardless of how lonely participants felt. “The finding that loneliness significantly impacted memory, but not the speed of decline in memory over time was a surprising outcome,” lead author Dr. Luis Carlos Venegas-Sanabria of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Universidad del Rosario said in a statement. Loneliness may be linked to worse memory performance in older adults, a new study suggests. Louis-Paul Photo – stock.adobe.com “It suggests that loneliness may play a more prominent role in the initial state of memory than in its progressive decline,” Venegas-Sanabria said, adding that the findings highlight the importance of addressing loneliness as a factor in cognitive performance. The findings add to debate about whether loneliness contributes to dementia risk. While loneliness and social isolation are often considered risk factors for cognitive decline, research results have been mixed. The study looked at data from the long-running Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), which tracked 10,217 older adults between 2012 and 2019. Participants were asked to recall words immediately and after a delay to measure memory performance. Social isolation could lead to cognitive decline among seniors. stock.adobe.com Loneliness was assessed using three questions about how often participants felt isolated, left out or lacking companionship. About 8% of participants reported high levels of loneliness at the outset. That group tended to be older, more likely to be female and more likely to have conditions such as depression. Researchers found that those with higher loneliness had lower scores on both immediate and delayed memory tests at baseline. Still, all groups — regardless of loneliness level — experienced similar declines in memory over time. One psychotherapist said staying socially and mentally engaged is crucial for overall brain health. jalisko – stock.adobe.com The results suggest loneliness m...
Loneliness may quietly damage memory in older adults
Feeling lonely could be doing more damage to the aging brain than previously understood but perhaps not in the way most people would expect. A new study involving more than 10,000 older adults across 12 European countries found that those who reported higher levels of loneliness performed worse on memory tests from the outset. Notably, however, their rate of memory decline over a seven year follow up period was no faster than that of participants who reported feeling more socially connected. What the study actually measured Participants were assessed on both immediate and delayed word recall standard tools used to gauge memory performance. Loneliness was evaluated through three questions about how frequently individuals felt isolated, left out or lacking companionship. Approximately 8% of participants reported high levels of loneliness at the beginning of the study. That group was more likely to be older, female and living with conditions such as depression, high blood pressure or diabetes. Researchers found that the higher loneliness group scored lower on both types of memory tests at baseline. Yet over time, all participants regardless of their loneliness levels experienced broadly similar rates of memory decline. The finding experts found most telling The researcher described the pattern as a surprising outcome, noting that loneliness appears to play a more prominent role in the initial state of memory than in its progressive deterioration a distinction that carries meaningful implications for how and when loneliness is addressed in the context of aging. The finding points to a timeline that researchers often miss. By the time adults reach their late 60s and begin participating in studies like this one, decades of social behavior and connection patterns are already deeply established. The damage, he suggested, may have begun accumulating much earlier in life well before anyone is formally measuring it. Weiss also cautioned against drawing overly clean conclusions from the data. The participants who felt most isolated also had higher rates of depression, high blood pressure and diabetes, suggesting that loneliness may be one piece of a larger cluster of health risks rather than a standalone cause of cognitive harm. What experts say about the loneliness-dementia debate The study adds another layer to an ongoing and unresolved debate in medical research. Social isolation and loneliness are widely regarded as risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia,...
New research discovers loneliness hurts memory in older adults
The aim of the new study was to assess the effect of loneliness on how memory changes over a seven-year period. The analysis used data covering 2012 to 2019 from SHARE, a survey launched in 2002 that examines the health and aging of Europeans ages 50 and over.
How are loneliness and memory related? - Deseret News
Loneliness remains a public health concern. But while loneliness could "quietly affect how well older adults remember things," a new study finds it might not be speeding up mental decline, as has long been suspected.
