Social isolation linked to lower brain volume: study

Older people who have little social interaction with others may be more likely to experience a decrease in overall brain volume, according to a study published in the online edition of Neurology, a medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Some areas may be affected by this. Madness. The study doesn’t prove that social isolation causes brain shrinkage; It only shows one connection.

“Social isolation is a growing problem for the elderly,” said study author Toshiharu Ninomiya, MD, PhD, of Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan. “These results suggest that providing support for people to initiate and maintain their relationships with others may be beneficial for preventing the development of brain atrophy and dementia.”

The study included 8,896 people with an average age of 73 who did not have dementia. He was subjected to MRI brain scan and health check-up. To determine social contact, people were asked a question: How often do you keep in touch with relatives or friends who do not live with you (for example, visiting or talking on the phone). The answer options were every day, several times a week, several times a month and rarely.

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The total brain volume of those with the least social contact was significantly smaller than that of those with the most social contact. Total brain volume, or the sum of white and gray matter, as a percentage of total intracranial volume, or the volume within the cranium including the brain, meninges and cerebrospinal fluid, was 67.3% in the lowest exposure group. 67.8% in the highest contact group.

They also had less volume in areas of the brain such as the hippocampus and amygdala that play a role in memory and are affected by dementia. The researchers also took into account other factors that can affect brain volume, such as age, diabetes, smoking and exercise.

The brains of people who are socially isolated often have smaller areas of damage, called white matter lesions, than people who are in social contact. The percentage of intracranial volume made up of white matter lesions was 0.30 for the socially isolated group, compared to 0.26 for the most socially connected group.

The researchers found that depressive symptoms partially explained the association between social isolation and brain volume. However, depressive symptoms were linked in only 15% to 29%.

“While this study is a snapshot in time and does not determine whether social isolation causes brain atrophy, some studies have shown that involving older people in socially stimulating groups can prevent decline in brain volume.” It was reversed or reversed and improved thinking and memory skills, so it is possible that “interventions to improve people’s social isolation could prevent brain volume loss and often lead to dementia,” Ninomiya said.

Because the study only included older Japanese people, one limitation is that the findings may not be generalizable to people of other ethnicities and to younger people.