SummarySocial isolation, the objective lack of social contacts, has been strongly linked to cognitive decline, dementia, and changes in brain structure and function. These outcomes, as well as social isolation itself, are not experienced equally: people with lower socioeconomic status are at higher risk. However, the ways in which socioeconomic status and social isolation together affect brain health and cognitive function are insufficiently understood. In this project, we will use data from the NAKO baseline and the first-follow up examinations to explore these relationships. Specifically, we will examine how social isolation may act as a bridge between socioeconomic status and markers of brain health, including grey matter volume and cognitive performance. Using advanced causal and statistical models, we will also investigate whether the effects of social isolation differ across individuals depending on their socioeconomic status. The results of this study will improve our understanding of how social and economic factors shape brain health and cognitive aging. This knowledge can inform strategies to reduce the burden of cognitive decline and dementia, especially in socially or economically vulnerable groups.

Keywords Causal-inference brain-health cognitive-decline dementia health-inequality social-isolation socioeconomic-inequalities

InstitutionsMax Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Max Planck Gesellschaft, Max Planck Institut für Kognitions- und Neurowissenschaften Leipzig, Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, Max Planck Institut für Kognitions- und Neurowissenschaften