Publication date: Nov 01, 2026
Loneliness and social isolation increase the risk of physical and mental disorders in older adults, while resilience may mitigate this risk. The evidence that medial temporal lobe (MTL) structures are associated with loneliness, social isolation, and resilience is largely cross-sectional. This study examined whether baseline MTL structures were associated with loneliness, social isolation, or resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. 114 older adults (59 females; mean age: 73. 8 +/- 5. 6 years) completed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before the pandemic (mean interval: 1182. 6 +/- 559. 1 days). They presented with normal cognition (NC; n = 46), mild cognitive impairment (MCI; n = 28), or remitted major depressive disorder (rMDD; n = 40). Amygdala and hippocampal volumes and entorhinal cortex thickness on T1-weighted MRI scans were analyzed using FreeSurfer 7. 0. Measures included the UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA), the Social Network Index (SNI), the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Linear regressions were adjusted for demographic and clinical covariates. Larger amygdala and hippocampal volumes at baseline were associated with higher resilience (CD-RISC: B = 0. 014, p
Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | MESH | mental disorders |
| disease | MESH | COVID-19 pandemic |
| disease | MESH | mild cognitive impairment |
| disease | MESH | major depressive disorder |
| disease | MESH | included |