A study found that those with lower social interaction also had small areas of brain damage associated with Alzheimer's and strokes
Social isolation can impact the brain in areas affected by dementia, new research shows. Socialising with others is important for mental health - as we learned during the Covid-19 lockdown - but a new study suggests that a lack of it may also impact a person's physical wellbeing.
“Social isolation is a growing problem for older adults,” said study author Toshiharu Ninomiya, MD, PhD, of Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan. “These results suggest that providing support for people to help them start and maintain their connections to others may be beneficial for preventing brain atrophy and the development of dementia.”
Including the brain, meninges, and cerebrospinal fluid, brain volume was 67.3 per cent in the lowest contact group, compared to 67.8 per cent in the highest contact group. They also had lower volumes in areas of the brain such as the hippocampus and amygdala that play a role in memory and are affected by dementia.
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