ArticlePloS one2018
Social isolation, cognitive reserve, and cognition in healthy older people.
Article in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 124 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
124 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- A bibliometric analysis of research on cognitive function and carotid atherosclerosis: global trends and hotspots.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Pooled it
- Health effects of social connectedness in older adults living in congregate long-term care settings: A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative evidence.International journal of older people nursing · 2023Pooled it
- Are social isolation and loneliness associated with cognitive decline in ageing?Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2023Pooled it
- The effect of social relationships on cognitive decline in older adults: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal cohort studies.BMC public health · 2022Pooled it
- Prognostic Factors and Models for Changes in Cognitive Performance After Multi-Domain Cognitive Training in Healthy Older Adults: A Systematic Review.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2021Pooled it
- Psychological characteristics and functional abilities in older adults with subjective cognitive complaints: A potential new target for early intervention.International psychogeriatrics · 2026Trial
- Associations of Social Engagement and Perceived Interpersonal Connectedness With Cognitive, Mental, and Physical Health in American Indian and Alaska Native Adults.Journal of aging and health · 2026Article
- Food insecurity, social isolation, and intrinsic capacity: An age-stratified analysis of US adults.The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2026Article
- Is my loneliness killing me? Effects of loneliness and social isolation on transitions between cognitive status categories and death.Journal of personality and social psychology · 2026Article
- Beyond the Block: Social Network Extralocality and Cognitive Function Among U.S. Older Adults.Journal of aging and health · 2026Article
- Challenges of Dementia Care among Older Adults Living Alone in Japan: Insights from a Memory Clinic Study.JMA journal · 2026Article
- Cognitive Functioning in Rural Older Adults: The Mediating Role of Perceived Social Support.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Living Alone, Early Tau Pathology, and Loneliness in Cognitively Unimpaired Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic.The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry · 2026Article
- Hearing Status, Social Engagement, and Longitudinal Changes in Cognition: Results From the Mexican Health and Aging Study.Journal of aging research · 2026Article
- Cognitive Aging in the Context of the Housing Crisis: Trends and Evidence From the Health and Retirement Study.Canadian studies in population · 2026Article
- A retrospective observational study of characteristics and outcomes of older patients referred to a hospital-based social prescribing programme.Frontiers in public health · 2026Observational
- Using machine learning models to predict the risk of mild cognitive impairment for COPD patients: A multi-cohort study.Comprehensive psychoneuroendocrinology · 2025Article
- Development and validation of a self-reported scale for difficulty in activities of daily living among older adults.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Experiential factors mediate the link between brain status and theory of mind in building-up cognitive reserve.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- The relationship between social isolation, depressive symptoms and cognitive function in older adults: a longitudinal mediation study in China.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2025Article
64 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
There is evidence to suggest that social isolation is associated with poor cognitive health, although findings are contradictory. One reason for inconsistency in reported findings may be a lack of consideration of underlying mechanisms that could influence this relationship. Cognitive reserve is a theoretical concept that may account for the role of social isolation and its association with cognitive outcomes in later life. Therefore, we aimed to examine the relationship between social isolation and cognition in later life, and to consider the role of cognitive reserve in this relationship. Baseline and two year follow-up data from the Cognitive Function and Ageing Study-Wales (CFAS-Wales) were analysed. Social isolation was assessed using the Lubben Social Network Scale-6 (LSNS-6), cognitive function was assessed using the Cambridge Cognitive Examination (CAMCOG), and cognitive reserve was assessed using a proxy measure of education, occupational complexity, and cognitive activity. Linear regression modelling was used to assess the relationship between social isolation and cognition. To assess the role of cognitive reserve in this relationship, moderation analysis was used to test for interaction effects. After controlling for age, gender, education, and physically limiting health conditions, social isolation was associated with cognitive function at baseline and two year follow-up. Cognitive reserve moderated this association longitudinally. Findings suggest that maintaining a socially active lifestyle in later life may enhance cognitive reserve and benefit cognitive function. This has important implications for interventions that may target social isolation to improve cognitive function.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.