Loneliness Affects Memory In Older Adults, Not Memory Decline: Study

Loneliness may affect the memory of older adults, but it doesn't seem to speed up mental decline, according to a study conducted in 10,000 Europeans over seven years. The findings, published in the journal Aging and Mental Health, show that participants who reported high levels of loneliness performed worse on memory tests at the beginning of the research period. However, researchers from institutions, including Universidad del Rosario in Colombia and Universitat de Valencia in Spain, observed that the participants rate of memory decline over time was similar to those who did not feel lonely.

Loneliness, or one's perception of how connected or disconnected they feel from society, has become a significant public health issue, with studies suggesting that it can make one more vulnerable to disease.

"Loneliness is associated with lower initial memory performance in older adults (aged 65 to 94) but does not accelerate the decline in memory function over time," authors wrote.

The study's results add weight to the strong links between feeling lonely and brain function in older people, while reinforcing the theory that isolation is not necessarily a risk factor for dementia, the researchers said.

They suggested that regular loneliness screening could be included in checks to test mental abilities in older adults.

The analysis looked at data spanning 2012 to 2019 from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) study -- a longitudinal survey launched in 2002 that examines the health and aging of Europeans aged 50 and over.

The participants for the study were included from countries such as Germany, Spain and Sweden. Loneliness was defined as 'feeling alone', with questions including 'how much of the time do you feel you lack companionship?'.

The researchers also assessed physical activity, engagement in social activities, depression scores, diabetes and other factors which could potentially influence the research.

Overall, 92 per cent of the participants reported either average or low levels of loneliness at the study's start.

Eight per cent of the participants, who reported high levels of loneliness, were older, mostly female, and self-reported worse health issues. They were also noted to have a higher prevalence of depression, high blood pressure and diabetes.

The researchers said that those reporting high levels had lower immediate and delayed recall scores at the beginning of the study, compared to those with lower loneliness levels.

However, the participants experienced a rapid decline in memory similar to that among those in the low and average loneliness categories. The steep 'slope' was observed between the assessments at year three and seven, the researchers said.

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