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Publications

Journal Article Ahead of print

PubMed: 41975563 DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2026.2624569

Memory trajectories in lonely individuals in Europe: an analysis of the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE).

Aging Ment Health

Authors: Luis Carlos Venegas-Sanabria, Eliana Pineda-Mateus, Miguel German Borda, Encarnación Satorres, Carmen Bueno-López, Juan Carlos Mélendez

Affiliations

  • Hospital Universitario Mayor, Méderi, Colombia.
  • Instituto Rosarista para el Estudio del Envejecimiento y la Longevidad, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia.
  • Center for Age-Related Medicine (SESAM), Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.
  • Department of Neurology, Clínica Universitaria de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.
  • Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Center for Alzheimer Research, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
  • Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain.

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Loneliness and social isolation are two of the most relevant risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia. However, the effect on specified cognitive domains has not been studied. This study aimed to investigate the impact of loneliness on the trajectory of memory over a six-year period among older adults.

METHODS

Longitudinal analysis using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Older adults aged 65 years and older participated in all three waves (waves 5, 6, and 8) of SHARE, and had complete data on loneliness assessment at baseline (wave 5) were included. The effect of loneliness on memory trajectories was assessed through a multilevel growth modelling approach.

RESULTS

A total of 10217 participants aged 65 to 94 years. Participants with high loneliness at baseline demonstrated significantly lower immediate and delayed recall scores than those with low or average loneliness (-0.24 and -0.21, respectively). However, loneliness did not influence the rate of decline in memory scores over the follow-up period.

CONCLUSION

Loneliness is associated with lower initial memory performance in older adults but does not accelerate the decline in memory function over time.

MeSH

Loneliness, Aging, Cognitive Dysfunction, Aged, Memory, Retirement