Program in Occupational Therapy, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, 63108, USA.
Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, 63108, USA.
F1000Res. 2024 Jan 24;11:1134. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.124891.2. eCollection 2022.
Loneliness has been associated with several consequences, including increased risk of developing Alzheimer disease (AD). Loneliness may arise during the preclinical phase of AD, but little is known about the relationship between loneliness and amyloid accumulation consistent with preclinical AD. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between amyloid accumulation and subjective experiences of loneliness among cognitively normal older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A global Clinical Dementia Rating Scale score of 0 was required for enrollment. Cortical amyloid burden was measured using [11C] Pittsburgh compound B or [18F]-Florbetapir PET tracers. Centiloids were used to synchronize measures. Demographic characteristics and measures of loneliness, anxiety, and depression were collected via self-report. Multiple linear regression was used to examine the relationship between loneliness and amyloid accumulation.
The 108 participants had a mean age of 75.0 and an average amyloid accumulation of 22.2 ± 31.9. Mean UCLA Loneliness Scale scores were 31.6 ± 10.8. A significant positive association was detected between loneliness and amyloid accumulation (β = 0.064, SE = 0.027, 95% CI = [0.011, 0.118], p = 0.018).
These findings highlight the relationship between higher amyloid accumulation and greater loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare professionals should include routine assessments for characteristics of loneliness in routine clinical evaluations and integrate loneliness reduction and prevention treatments among older adults experiencing loneliness. Additional research is needed with a larger, more diverse sample to examine the relationship between loneliness and amyloid accumulation.
孤独与多种后果相关，包括阿尔茨海默病（AD）风险增加。孤独可能在 AD 的临床前阶段出现，但对于孤独与符合 AD 临床前阶段的淀粉样蛋白积聚之间的关系知之甚少。因此，本研究旨在检查在 COVID-19 大流行期间认知正常的老年人中，淀粉样蛋白积聚与孤独感之间的关系。
需要全球临床痴呆评定量表评分 0 才能入组。使用 [11C]匹兹堡化合物 B 或 [18F]-Florbetapir PET 示踪剂测量皮质淀粉样蛋白负担。百分位数用于同步测量。通过自我报告收集人口统计学特征以及孤独、焦虑和抑郁的测量值。使用多元线性回归检查孤独感与淀粉样蛋白积聚之间的关系。
108 名参与者的平均年龄为 75.0 岁，平均淀粉样蛋白积聚量为 22.2±31.9。UCLA 孤独量表平均得分为 31.6±10.8。孤独感与淀粉样蛋白积聚之间存在显著正相关（β=0.064，SE=0.027，95%CI=[0.011，0.118]，p=0.018）。
这些发现突出了 COVID-19 大流行期间更高的淀粉样蛋白积聚与更大的孤独感之间的关系。医疗保健专业人员应在常规临床评估中常规评估孤独感的特征，并为孤独感的老年患者整合孤独感减轻和预防治疗。需要更多研究来检查孤独感和淀粉样蛋白积聚之间的关系，样本量更大，更具多样性。
