A review of studies on the impact of social isolation and loneliness on Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common neurodegenerative disease affecting the elderly, is on a continuous global rise in incidence and prevalence, placing a heavy burden on the individual, the family, and society. In recent years, more and more researches have revealed that social isolation and loneliness are important factors of risk for the development of AD. The purpose of this review is to systematically sort out the existing cohort research evidence on the impact of social isolation and loneliness on AD, to deeply explore the underlying neurobiological, psychological, and inflammatory response mechanisms, and to pay special attention to the gender specificity of the effects of social isolation and loneliness on AD, and to analyze the differences in cognitive decline, psychological problems, and disease progression between females and males, as well as their possible causes, with a view to providing new directions for future research and AD early prevention and intervention strategies for AD, with a view to providing new perspectives and theoretical basis for future research directions and early prevention and intervention strategies for AD.