December 11, 2012

expert reaction to new research into loneliness and the onset of dementia

Feeling lonely was linked to an increased risk of developing dementia in later life, according to research published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

Professor John Bond, Strategic Research Advisor (Social gerontology and health services research) at the Institute of Health and Society, Newcastle University, said:

“This is not the first paper to be published on this subject. Wilson and colleagues published a paper in Archives of general psychiatry in 2007 that showed that loneliness was a risk factor for Alzheimer’s Disease. However this is a soundly conducted study and an important confirmation of the association.”

‘ Feelings of loneliness, but not social isolation, predict dementia onset: results from the Amsterdam Study of the Elderly (AMSTEL)’ by Tjalling Jan Holwerda et al., published in the Journal of Neurology and Psychiatry on Monday 10 December 2012.