“Social distancing is a serious but unrecognized public health problem, often associated with old age,” said Professor Jianfeng Feng of Fudan University in Shanghai, China. “In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, social isolation or being cut off from social networks is increasing. It’s more important than ever to identify socially isolated people and provide resources to help them stay connected in their communities.
The study looked at more than 460,000 people across the UK with an average age of 57 at the start of the study, who had been followed for almost 12 years before the pandemic. Of those, nearly 42,000 (9%) reported being socially isolated and 29,000 (6%) feeling lonely. Over the course of the study, nearly 5,000 people developed dementia.
The researchers collected survey data from the participants, along with various physical and biological measurements, including MRI data. Participants also took thinking and memory tests to assess cognitive abilities. For social isolation, people were asked three questions about social contact: whether they lived with other people, whether they visited friends or family at least once a month, and whether They participate in social activities such as clubs, meetings or volunteer work at least once a week. People were considered socially isolated if they answered no to at least two questions.
Of the 42,000 people who were socially isolated, 649 (1.55%) developed dementia, compared with 4,349 (1.03%) in those who were not socially isolated.
After adjusting for factors including age, sex, socioeconomic status, drinking and smoking, as well as other conditions such as depression and loneliness, the researchers found that the Socially isolated people have lower gray matter volume in the brain in areas associated with learning and thinking. The researchers found that socially isolated people were 26 percent more likely to develop dementia than those who were not socially isolated. The researchers also looked at loneliness, but after adjusting for it, did not find a strong association with developing dementia.
Professor Barbara Sahakian from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge, study co-author, added: “Those who reported high levels of social isolation were more likely to show significant differences in volume brain, in regions that we know are also involved. with cognitive problems and dementia risk. This is very disturbing and suggests that social isolation may be an early sign of an increased risk of dementia.”
Those who reported higher levels of social isolation were more likely to have lower gray matter volume in areas of the brain involved in learning and thinking. The results showed that lower gray matter volume was associated with higher social isolation.
One limitation of the study is that the participants reported fewer health conditions and were less likely to live alone than the general population, so the results may not apply to the general population.
Source: University of Cambridge
