Social health, brain reserve, and cognition

In a study conducted in Sweden, researchers analysed the impact of social health and brain reserve on the cognitive abilities of 368 individuals aged 60 years or above, who did not have dementia at the beginning of the study.

The participants' social health was categorised as poor or moderate-good based on questionnaire and interview responses, which included information on networking, engagement, and support. The researchers used total brain tissue volume (TBTV) as a measure of brain reserve, which is the sum of grey and white matter volume. Grey matter and white matter are two types of brain tissue.

The findings showed that individuals with moderate-good social health had better cognitive performance at baseline and slower cognitive decline than those with poor social health. Similarly, individuals with moderate-large TBTV had better cognitive performance at baseline and slower cognitive decline than those with small TBTV. However, moderate-good social health did not affect cognitive decline in individuals with moderate-large TBTV.

These results suggest that promoting social networking, engagement, and support, along with other healthy lifestyle behaviours, could promote brain health. Future studies that include biomarkers and a more diverse study population may help clarify the relationship between social health and brain reserve.