 |
|
Loneliness and Risk of Alzheimer Disease
Robert S. Wilson, PhD;
Kristin R. Krueger, PhD;
Steven E. Arnold, MD;
Julie A. Schneider, MD;
Jeremiah F. Kelly, MD;
Lisa L. Barnes, PhD;
Yuxiao Tang, PhD;
David A. Bennett, MD
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2007;64(2):234-240.
Context Social isolation in old age has been associated with risk of developing dementia, but the risk associated with perceived isolation, or loneliness, is not well understood.
Objective To test the hypothesis that loneliness is associated with increased risk of Alzheimer disease (AD).
Design Longitudinal clinicopathologic cohort study with up to 4 years of annual in-home follow-up.
Participants A total of 823 older persons free of dementia at enrollment were recruited from senior citizen facilities in and around Chicago, Ill. Loneliness was assessed with a 5-item scale at baseline (mean ± SD, 2.3 ± 0.6) and annually thereafter. At death, a uniform postmortem examination of the brain was conducted to quantify AD pathology in multiple brain regions and the presence of cerebral infarctions.
Main Outcome Measures Clinical diagnosis of AD and change in previously established composite measures of global cognition and specific cognitive functions.
Results During follow-up, 76 subjects developed clinical AD. Risk of AD was more than doubled in lonely persons (score 3.2, 90th percentile) compared with persons who were not lonely (score 1.4, 10th percentile), and controlling for indicators of social isolation did not affect the finding. Loneliness was associated with lower level of cognition at baseline and with more rapid cognitive decline during follow-up. There was no significant change in loneliness, and mean degree of loneliness during the study was robustly associated with cognitive decline and development of AD. In 90 participants who died and in whom autopsy of the brain was performed, loneliness was unrelated to summary measures of AD pathology or to cerebral infarction.
Conclusion Loneliness is associated with an increased risk of late-life dementia but not with its leading causes.
Author Affiliations: Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center (Drs Wilson, Krueger, Schneider, Kelly, Barnes, and Bennett), Rush Institute for Healthy Aging (Dr Tang), and Departments of Neurological Sciences (Drs Wilson, Schneider, Barnes, and Bennett), Behavioral Sciences (Drs Wilson, Krueger, and Barnes), Pathology (Dr Schneider), and Internal Medicine (Drs Kelly and Tang), Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Ill; and Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, and Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (Dr Arnold).
 CiteULike  Connotea  Del.icio.us  Digg  Reddit  Technorati  Twitter
What's this?
THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES
|
Measuring Social Isolation Among Older Adults Using Multiple Indicators From the NSHAP Study
Cornwell and Waite
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2009;64B:i38-i46.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Kidney function is associated with the rate of cognitive decline in the elderly
Buchman et al.
Neurology 2009;73:920-927.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Sociodemographic and lifestyle risk factors for incident dementia and cognitive decline in the HYVET
Peters et al.
Age Ageing 2009;38:521-527.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Hostility and Change in Cognitive Function Over Time in Older Blacks and Whites
Barnes et al.
Psychosom. Med. 2009;71:652-658.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Association Between Late-Life Social Activity and Motor Decline in Older Adults
Buchman et al.
Arch Intern Med 2009;169:1139-1146.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Social Disconnectedness, Perceived Isolation, and Health among Older Adults
Cornwell and Waite
Journal of Health and Social Behavior 2009;50:31-48.
ABSTRACT
Personality and lifestyle in relation to dementia incidence
Wang et al.
Neurology 2009;72:253-259.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Bibliography: Geriatric Psychiatry
Focus 2009;7:46-48.
FULL TEXT
From Social Structural Factors to Perceptions of Relationship Quality and Loneliness: The Chicago Health, Aging, and Social Relations Study
Hawkley et al.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2008;63:S375-S384.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Enrichment Effects on Adult Cognitive Development: Can the Functional Capacity of Older Adults Be Preserved and Enhanced?
Hertzog et al.
Psychological Science in the Public Interest 2008;9:1-65.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Change in Depressive Symptoms During the Prodromal Phase of Alzheimer Disease
Wilson et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 2008;65:439-445.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
PREDICTORS OF PROGRESSION FROM MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT TO ALZHEIMER DISEASE
Rozzini et al.
Neurology 2008;70:735-736.
FULL TEXT
Mental Exercising Through Simple Socializing: Social Interaction Promotes General Cognitive Functioning
Ybarra et al.
Pers Soc Psychol Bull 2008;34:248-259.
ABSTRACT
Relation of cognitive activity to risk of developing Alzheimer disease
Wilson et al.
Neurology 2007;69:1911-1920.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Conscientiousness and the Incidence of Alzheimer Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment
Wilson et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 2007;64:1204-1212.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Olfactory Identification and Incidence of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Older Age
Wilson et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 2007;64:802-808.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Frailty is Associated With Incident Alzheimer's Disease and Cognitive Decline in the Elderly
Buchman et al.
Psychosom. Med. 2007;69:483-489.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
|
