ArticleScientific reports2017
Empty-nest-related psychological distress is associated with progression of brain white matter lesions and cognitive impairment in the elderly.
Article in Scientific reports, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- How loneliness and social isolation are linked to cognitive decline among older adults? A systematic review of underlying physiological and psychobehavioral mechanisms.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026Pooled it
- Loneliness and Cognitive Function in Older Adults Without Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · 2023Pooled it
- Neurobiology of loneliness: a systematic review.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2021Pooled it
- Effects of sartans and low-dose statins on cerebral white matter hyperintensities and cognitive function in older patients with hypertension: a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled clinical trial.Hypertension research : official journal of the Japanese Society of Hypertension · 2019Trial
- Seven-year progression of white matter hyperintensities and age-related cognitive change in healthy middle-aged and older adults.GeroScience · 2026Article
- Loneliness and biomarkers of brain pathology in people with subjective cognitive decline.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Gut-Brain Axis-Based Polygala Tenuifolia and Magnolia Officinalis Improve D-gal-Induced Cognitive Impairment in Mice Through cAMP and NF-κB Signaling Pathways.Drug design, development and therapy · 2025Article
- Empty nest but better off? Association between empty nest status and cognitive function among older adults with chronic diseases in rural China.BMC geriatrics · 2024Article
- The association between household and family composition and mental health of the elderly: mediating role of lifestyle.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Association between Loneliness and Memory Function through White Matter Hyperintensities in Older Adults: The Moderating Role of Gender.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Excessive salt intake accelerates the progression of cerebral small vessel disease in older adults.BMC geriatrics · 2023Article
- Gender differences in the relationship between loneliness and health-related behavioral risk factors among the Hakka elderly in Fujian, China.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Article
- Seeking medical services among rural empty-nest elderly in China: a qualitative study.BMC geriatrics · 2022Article
- Left-Behind Status Worsens Prognosis of ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction in Elderly Patients from Southwest China.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2020Article
- Prevalence and Associated Factors of Self-Treatment among the Elderly-A Comparative Study between Empty and Non-Empty Nesters in Shandong, China.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- The longitudinal relationship between income and social participation among Chinese older people.SSM - population health · 2020Article
- Telmisartan and Rosuvastatin Synergistically Ameliorate Dementia and Cognitive Impairment in Older Hypertensive Patients With Apolipoprotein E Genotype.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2020Article
- Article
- Lifetime discrimination burden, racial discrimination, and subclinical cerebrovascular disease among African Americans.Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association · 2019Article
- The association between family members' migration and cognitive function among people left behind in China.PloS one · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This study evaluated the association between empty-nest-related psychological distress and the progression of white matter lesions (WMLs) and cognitive impairment in 219 elderly subjects aged 60 years or over. Psychological distress was assessed using the University of California at Los Angeles Loneliness Scale (UCLA-LS) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) Short-Form. Cognitive function was evaluated using the MMSE and MoCA. White matter hyperintensities (WMH) were assessed using magnetic resonance imaging. After 5.2-year follow-up, the reductions in MMSE and MoCA scores and the increases in periventricular (P)WMH, deep (D)WMH, and total WMH volumes in the empty-nest elderly were greater than those in the non-empty-nest elderly (P < 0.05). The reduced MMSE and MoCA scores and increased volumes of PWMH and total WMH in the empty-nest elderly living alone were greater than those in the empty-nest elderly living with a spouse (P < 0.05). UCLA-LS and GDS scores were significantly and independently associated with reduced MMSE and MoCA scores and the increased volumes of PWMH, DWMH, and total WMH. The results indicate that empty-nest-related psychological distress is associated with progression of WMLs and cognitive impairment in the elderly.
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