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Surprising new cause of dementia discovered... and scientists say it occurs decades before symptoms appear
Daily Mail ^ | 15:06 EST, 16 November 2025 | Updated: 16:43 EST, 16 November 2025 | CASSIDY MORRISON,

Posted on 11/16/2025 2:20:35 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum

The roots of cognitive decline later in life may begin in childhood, a major new study suggests.

Researchers discovered that the experience of childhood loneliness is strongly linked to accelerated cognitive decline and a significantly higher risk of dementia in people 50 and up. 

The critical factor was the subjective, emotional feeling of loneliness itself, which sharply increased dementia risk even for those who had friends. 

Crucially, the link persisted even for those who were no longer lonely as adults, suggesting the damaging effects of early-life isolation can cast a long shadow over the brain's health.

While loneliness at any age is a known risk factor for cognitive decline and dementia, the long-term impact of loneliness experienced in childhood is poorly understood. 

This is a critical gap, as childhood is a period of significant brain development, where a child is highly vulnerable to stressors such as loneliness, poverty and food insecurity, neglect and bullying. 

Nearly half of the roughly 1,400 adults in the study reported being lonely and without close friends in childhood.

People who felt lonely as children started their middle-aged years with lower memory and thinking skills. Moreover, their cognitive abilities declined at a faster pace each year compared to those who were not lonely as kids.

The latest study found that frequent childhood loneliness is linked to faster cognitive decline in midlife and a 41 percent higher risk of dementia (stock)

According to the latest research, childhood loneliness was consistently linked to a significantly faster rate of cognitive decline in later life, shown in the downward-trending graph. This association was strong and clear across the entire group of participants

The research was a collaborative effort by scientists from universities in China, Australia, and the United States, including Harvard and Boston universities. 

The team analyzed data from a large, long-term...

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Science
KEYWORDS: spammingfr
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1 posted on 11/16/2025 2:20:35 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

So, future socialist voters coming up...


2 posted on 11/16/2025 2:23:00 PM PST by It Aint Easy
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

I experience dementia 30 minutes after my wife asks me to do chores.


3 posted on 11/16/2025 2:27:58 PM PST by Tell It Right (1 Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Smells like BS.


4 posted on 11/16/2025 2:28:45 PM PST by Paladin2 (YMMV)
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To: Paladin2

They made money on this research.


5 posted on 11/16/2025 2:31:22 PM PST by BipolarBob (These violent delights have violent ends.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

I blame cats and I’m no biologist.


6 posted on 11/16/2025 2:31:41 PM PST by Libloather (Why do climate change hoax deniers live in mansions on the beach?)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Friends to stab you in the back first chance they get ,LOL


7 posted on 11/16/2025 2:31:45 PM PST by butlerweave (Fateh)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

These Researchers have mental issues


8 posted on 11/16/2025 2:32:09 PM PST by butlerweave (Fateh)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

The study did face some difficulties.

Scientist: “Were you lonely in childhood.”

Dementia Patient: “I don’t remember.”


9 posted on 11/16/2025 2:33:18 PM PST by bosco24
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To: BipolarBob

I’m surprised that it is not linked to higher CO2 levels, Gorebal Warning and Seal Level Rise...


10 posted on 11/16/2025 2:34:02 PM PST by Paladin2 (YMMV)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Correlation made them jump to causality?


11 posted on 11/16/2025 2:35:14 PM PST by Paladin2 (YMMV)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Again, correlation is not causation.


12 posted on 11/16/2025 2:36:24 PM PST by 9YearLurker
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To: Paladin2

Yep sure does


13 posted on 11/16/2025 2:40:35 PM PST by enumerated (81 million votes my ass)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
"Food insecurity? What's zat?"

Fortunately, this porker is destined to never get dementia...


14 posted on 11/16/2025 2:41:20 PM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Nonsense

Head strikes early in life like football
Refusal to do analytical work later in life aka brain laziness
Lack of social interaction


15 posted on 11/16/2025 2:44:22 PM PST by AppyPappy (They don't call you a Nazi because they think you are one. They do it to justify violence. )
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Lack of social interaction, certain food preservatives, or certain MEDICATIONS like Xanax, etc...


16 posted on 11/16/2025 2:47:27 PM PST by CivilWarBrewing (Get off my back for my usage of CAPS, especially you snowflake males! MAN UP!)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

So, can we sue the schools for encouraging children to not have best friends?


17 posted on 11/16/2025 2:49:45 PM PST by Harmless Teddy Bear (It's like somebody just put the Constitution up on a wall …. and shot the First Amendment -Mike Rowe)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

I’m not so sure about lonliness being a prime factor in developing dementia. Maybe in some people, who already show a tendency for hypersensitivity and fragile ego, but it seems that the experience of loneliness is simply a part of most people’s life.

If it’s prolonged loneliness + parental negligence - close friends - fun/ trust or humor, THEN, that person will be having problems, and it will be much sooner than when they become elderly.


18 posted on 11/16/2025 2:50:24 PM PST by lee martell
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

I was out doing yard work and stepped in something that smelled like this article.


19 posted on 11/16/2025 2:52:14 PM PST by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: all armed conservatives)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Surprised they didn’t blame it on climate change.


20 posted on 11/16/2025 2:53:47 PM PST by dfwgator ("I am Charlie Kirk!")
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