Reader Response: Associations of Social Isolation and Loneliness With Later Dementia. (29th November 2022) - Holwerda, Tjalling J.
Abstract : The work by Shen et al. 1 includes important findings on the consequences of social isolation and loneliness. Studying possible neuroanatomical correlates of these conditions is important because evidence on mechanisms underlying the association between loneliness, social isolation, and dementia is sparse. While the study has strengths, including the number of participants and the availability of structural MRI data, it also has limitations including the limited number of questions regarding loneliness and social isolation, the limited assessment of depressive symptoms, and the lack of repeated measurements of loneliness and social isolation.