Emotional social support

2 papers4 findings

C, W, M, H: cells, worms or flies, mice, humans. Dark: independent labs found the same change there. Light: one lab or one study. Outline: nothing yet.

Labs are independent when their papers share no last author and no institution.

Against: findings that point the other way from most findings on the same outcome.

On aging: the drug’s trials ARN judged to be about aging, of every trial that tests it for any use.

No results posted: trials that ended more than a year ago with no results on ClinicalTrials.gov and no paper in ARN’s record.

Company ties: findings with an author at a company, or from a paper whose competing-interests statement declares ties to one.

2 independent labs in 2 countries

Humans2

Outcomes

Cognitive decline

no changein humans1

1 study

Emotional social support has no effect on cognitive decline in humans (β=0.01 [95% CI: -0.06, 0.04]).
“There was no evidence of associations with cognitive decline (executive function β=0.01 [95% CI: ‐0.06, 0.04]”
Humansadjusted for sex, education and marital statusn = 814
Racial/ethnic identity, emotional support and late life cognition and cognitive decline after age 90
AAIC 2025 abstract23 Dec 2025

Verbal episodic memory

upin humans1

1 study

Emotional social support improves verbal episodic memory in humans (β=0.36 [95% CI: 0.23, 0.49]).
“verbal episodic memory scores (β=0.36 [95% CI: 0.23, 0.49]; Table 2)”
Humansadjusted for sex, education and marital statusn = 814
Racial/ethnic identity, emotional support and late life cognition and cognitive decline after age 90
AAIC 2025 abstract23 Dec 2025

Executive function

upin humans1

1 study

Emotional social support improves executive function in humans (β=0.20 [95% CI: 0.08, 0.31]).
“higher emotional support was positively associated with baseline executive function (β=0.20 [95% CI: 0.08, 0.31])”
Humansadjusted for sex, education and marital statusn = 814
Racial/ethnic identity, emotional support and late life cognition and cognitive decline after age 90
AAIC 2025 abstract23 Dec 2025

Associations

Episodic memory

upin humans1

1 study

Emotional social support is associated with episodic memory in humans (p = 0.02).
“Greater emotional support was significantly associated with better episodic memory in males ( p = 0.02).”
Humansin malesmalesn = 2,853
Social networks and cognitive function of older adults in Lebanon: Findings from LSAHA ‐ Lebanon Study on Ageing and Health
AAIC 2025 abstract23 Dec 2025