Could Loneliness be an Early Sign of Alzheimer’s Disease?
Posted by Brigham and Women's Hospital December 9, 2016
Loneliness may be an early sign of brain changes that lead to Alzheimer’s Disease.
In people with Alzheimer’s, the disease process—involving abnormal protein accumulation in the brain—begins 10 or 20 years before the onset of cognitive impairment.
In November, researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) published a study that examined whether certain emotional or behavioral changes were associated with the accumulation of abnormal proteins, such as amyloid—a protein believed to be a precursor of Alzheimer’s.
“We thought loneliness could be an early signal of amyloid accumulation, because in epidemiologic studies lonely people have accelerated cognitive decline,” said study leader Dr. Nancy Donovan, a psychiatrist in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurology at BWH.
Dr. Donovan and her colleagues analyzed data from 79 men and women with an average age of 76, who were participating in the Harvard Aging Brain Study. The participants answered questions designed to assess how lonely they felt, and the researchers used imaging scans to detect the presence of amyloid.
After factoring in gender, age, depression, genetics, socioeconomic status, anxiety and the social networks of the participants, results showed that those with preclinical Alzheimer disease were 7.5 times more likely to feel lonely when compared to people who did not show early signs of the disease.
“It may be that during the process of amyloid accumulation, as older people are beginning to experience cognitive decline, they are less able to successfully socialize, become less comfortable and have more anxiety in social situations,” said Dr. Donovan.
Dr. Donovan noted that it is possible that loneliness in older adults might also signal subtle changes in social cognition, or how someone processes, stores, and applies information about other people and social situations. A person’s sense of feeling connected to other people is related to brain function and that could be altered in people who have an abnormal accumulation of amyloid, she said.
Loneliness may be one of a number of emotional and behavioral symptoms related to preclinical Alzheimer’s disease. The association could also work in reverse: loneliness could promote the accumulation of amyloid, or perhaps the two could be occurring simultaneously in a cycle, said Dr. Donovan.
“We are just starting to make the connection between neuropsychiatric symptoms and their underlying biological substrate. This is the first time that loneliness has been shown to occur as a result of alteration in brain structure or function,” said Dr. Donovan.
Dr. Donovan notes that not all patients who are lonely will develop Alzheimer’s disease, but loneliness or social isolation could be a relevant characteristic to monitor in older individuals.
“These emotional and behavioral changes could be indicative of brain changes related to Alzheimer’s disease and may be part of a checklist of early signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s that clinicians could use in the future,” said Dr. Donovan.
-Dustin G.
Related Links:
- The Alzheimer Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurology at BWH
- Progress in Alzheimer’s Disease Treatment – Targeting Amyloid Beta Protein
- Video: Amyloid Beta & Alzheimer’s Disease Video – Brigham and Women’s Hospital
comments (2)
Hi, Joyce. We are sorry to hear about the troubles you have been experiencing. Indeed, physical ailments can often cause distress and lead to mental health problems. Following your doctor’s orders to rehabilitate your leg will be vital to achieve a full recovery. We also encourage you to discuss your psychological concerns with your primary care physician. It’s important to seek help for depression, which can be a reversible with treatment. Problem solving therapy and medication are both helpful for depression in older individuals. Also, pursuing physical therapy, if you are not already, may help. If you address your concerns with your PCP, he or she can make the appropriate referrals. If you would like to be seen by one of our specialists, our patient coordinators can assist you in scheduling an appointment. You can reach them Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm at 1-800-BWH-9999 or you can submit an online appointment request at https://www.brighamandwomens.org/forms/RequestAppointment.aspx.
on December 21, 2016 9:20 pmI am 72. I have extensive neuromuscular problems, leading to doctor’s orders to elevate the involved foot or leg for months at a time for example – this makes it impossible to join my friends for outings. When I can’t walk because of pain, I can’t continue hiking with friends, dancing, or even going to the beach with them. I have developed allergies to very common ingredients in foods, such as garlic, which is in ketchup, all prepared soups, mustard, mayonnaise, salad dressing etc. This means I can no longer attend fund raising dinners, church suppers etc. Now I am experiencing signs of dementia – word search problems intensify, inability to remember names, events, or where I set down my keys or what I entered the next room to retrieve, etc. And, I am also recently sad, isolated and depressed. I’d say the physical problems preceded the mental issues in my case. I feel when/if I can enter the “outside world” again, these mental problems will improve.
on December 15, 2016 11:58 am