The Impact of Social Isolation on Brain Performance and Dementia: Study Findings and Preventive Measures

2023-06-21 15:30:00

Social isolation is likely to have a negative impact on brain performance. In people who have few social contacts and are older than 50 years, the structure of the gray matter in the brain decreases more over time than in people who are less isolated. In addition, cognitive performance becomes weaker. These are the results of a study by the University Medical Center Leipzig in cooperation with the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences.

The gray matter controls all brain functions as well as all functions of the central nervous system. In their current study, the Leipzig scientists have shown that people older than 50 and with little social contact experience an accelerated decrease in this substance in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. The longitudinal data from 1,900 participants in the research project also suggest that people who maintain or expand their social network preserve their brain structure and intellectual capacity better than those who live in social isolation.

“Finding these effects in healthy people suggests a causal relationship between social isolation and a more rapid decline in cognitive performance. In addition, we were able to find evidence that this lifestyle-dependent change in the brain is important from the age of 50. Therefore, preventive measures against cognitive decline should start very early on,” says PD Dr. Veronica Witte, last author of the publication and scientist at the University Medical Center Leipzig and at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences.

The social isolation of the participants in the study was recorded using standardized questionnaires. They went through an extensive test lasting several days in which their medical biography and current health status were examined. A combination of cognitive tests was used to determine the subjects’ performance in terms of memory, attention and mental flexibility. The structure of the brain was recorded using high-resolution 3 Tesla MRI images and computer-aided evaluation routines.

How relevant is social isolation to dementia?

“The results underscore the relevance of social isolation to dementia, a serious condition affecting tens of millions of people worldwide. The study provides important information for maintaining the health of the population and the individual well-being of people. In addition, our findings allow us to point out the importance of effectively combating social isolation and taking preventive action against dementia,” says the scientist PD Dr. Witte.

Thanks to the large samples and repeated tests in the Leipzig population study LIFE of the University of Leipzig, the connection between social isolation, brain structure and cognitive functions could be examined in a particularly high quality.

Dementia is one of the major research areas at the day clinic for cognitive neurology at the University Hospital Leipzig in cooperation with the MPI for cognitive and neurosciences and the Institute for Social Medicine, Occupational Medicine and Public Health (ISAP) of the medical faculty. In the future, the scientists want to take a closer look at the nature of the connection between social isolation and cognitive health in order to develop new strategies for the prevention and therapy of dementia diseases through a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms. Social values ​​such as community and solidarity seem to be a lever to reduce social isolation and thus possibly slow down cognitive aging.

The study was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), the European Union and the Free State of Saxony.

Originalpublikation in “eLife”: Impact of social isolation on grey matter structure and cognitive functions: A population-based longitudinal neuroimaging study.