In Case You Haven't Heard…

Loneliness experienced by isolated older adults during the pandemic makes them more vulnerable to cognitive decline and memory loss, warn Northwestern University experts, reported an Aug. 19 Northwestern news release. “If older adults don't have enough stimulation and social interaction, they start having cognitive changes,” said Dr. Borna Bonakdarpour, an assistant professor of neurology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a Northwestern Medicine physician. “As we age, amyloid proteins accumulate in our brains, sticky clumps that interfere with communication between neurons. The brain is better able to handle these challenges if a person has cognitive reserve, which is more connections or alternative pathways. If one pathway is not working, the brain takes a detour and finds ways around it to compensate for this loss. The more people have social interactions and activities — going to theaters and concerts — the more pathways exist in their brains and the better their brains compensate for cognitive changes and loss of neurons.”