It's About Who You Know: Relationships Between Social Networks, Cognitive Function, and Brain Health in Later Life

Friday, November 4, 2022

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM ET

Location: 245 CC

CE: 1.5

Chair(s)

Lucas Hamilton, PhD

Postdoctoral Researcher
Psychological & Brain Sciences
Indiana University
Bloomington, Indiana, United States

Discussant(s)

SM

Sara Moorman, PhD, FGSA

Professor of Sociology
Sociology
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States

Individual Symposium Abstract First Author(s)

BP

Brea Perry, PhD

Professor
Sociology
Indiana University
Bloomington, Indiana, United States
MM

Mohit Manchella

Research Intern
Chemistry
University of Southern Indiana
Carmel, Indiana, United States
SP

Siyun Peng, PhD

Assistant Research Scientist
Sociology
Indiana University
Bloomington, Indiana, United States
AK

Anne Krendl, PhD

Associate Professor
Psychological & Brain Sciences
Indiana University
Bloomington, Indiana, United States
Lucas Hamilton, PhD

Postdoctoral Researcher
Psychological & Brain Sciences
Indiana University
Bloomington, Indiana, United States

Evidence has been steadily increasing about the benefit of social connectedness for healthy aging. Yet, thanks to the complexity of human social interactions, it remains difficult to pinpoint specific benefits and mechanisms by which such benefits emerge. We offer this symposium to address this issue by presenting new findings from ongoing work at Indiana University in collaboration with the Indiana Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. First, an overview of recent literature will be presented alongside a brief introduction to egocentric network analysis and its utility in probing social determinants of health. Next, we turn our attention to characteristics of social networks and their importance for cognitive health in later life. Different types of social enrichment will be evaluated in terms of their respective influence on cognitive reserve (i.e., neuropsychological evaluations, brain health). Additional attention will be paid to the comparison of emotionally supportive (i.e., social bonding) and more informationally supportive (i.e., social bridging) ties as promoters of brain health. Then, the final talks will describe potential avenues for increasing social connectedness in older adulthood. Individual differences in social cognitive function, namely Theory of Mind (i.e., reading another person’s thoughts, feelings, and intentions), has been implicated as mechanism by which older adults can maintain larger networks with more weak ties, in turn, promoting cognitive function. Separately, the presence of ambivalent ties (i.e., connections that beget positivity and negativity) may serve as a window of opportunity whereby older adults can leverage strengths in emotion regulation to maintain these ties without negative health consequences.

Learning Objectives:

Identify specific aspects of older adults’ social networks that are connected to neurocognitive health. This includes an analysis of network-level influences (i.e., size, structure, function) as well as probing the relative influence of specific ties.
Present possible mechanisms for future intervention work by interrogating the antecedent processes that promote social connectedness. This includes factors such as social cognitive functioning and emotion regulation efficacy.

Presentations:

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM ET

Aging and the Social Brain: The Role of Social Networks in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Brea L. Perry, PhD – Indiana University
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM ET

Neurological Correlates of Social Bonding and Bridging
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Mohit K. Manchella – University of Southern Indiana
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM ET

Links Between Social Connectedness and Cognitive Health Operate Through Social Stimulation and Cognitive Reserve
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Siyun Peng, PhD – Indiana University
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM ET

Social Cognitive Deficits Relate to Key Aspects of Older Adults' Social Networks
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Anne C. Krendl, PhD – Indiana University
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM ET

To Love and Loathe: Examining the Costs and Benefits of Ambivalent Ties in Older Adulthood
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Lucas J. Hamilton, PhD – Indiana University