ISLAMABAD: Lower cognitive test scores in areas such as memory and processing speed could indicate an increased risk of stroke, a new study finds.
A previous silent stroke could affect cognitive function, though more research is necessary to determine how much it increases future stroke risk.
Experts advise that it’s too early to recommend cognitive testing as a routine part of stroke risk assessment.
Stroke occurs every 40 secondsTrusted Source in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
While strokes can occur at any age, risk increases with ageTrusted Source. Having a stroke at a later age increases the risk of hospitalization and mortality.
A new observational study published in September in the Journal of the American Heart AssociationTrusted Source examined whether adults ages 60 to 69 with lower cognitive test scores were more likely to experience stroke later in life.
The researchers found that stroke was more likely to occur in those with reduced memory and quickness in processing information.
Up to 86% increased risk of stroke
The researchers found that participants ages 60 to 69 years who scored lower on certain cognitive tests had up to an 86% increased risk of stroke.
The study followed 4,912 participants, among whom 3,094 were ages 60 to 69 years. Participants had no prior dementia, stroke, or transient ischemic attack (TIA). After an average follow-up time of 12.3 years, 572 of the 4912 participants experienced a stroke.
The researchers determined the following in participants aged 60 to 69 years:
86% higher risk of stroke in those with lower overall thinking ability
68% higher risk of stroke in those with reduced episodic memory
66% higher risk of stroke in those with slower information processing.
Among all participants, there was no increase in stroke for those with lower scores compared with those in the mid-scoring group for verbal fluency and selected components of executive function.
The researchers did not find any significant associations in participants ages 70 and older after adjusting for health and lifestyle factors, such as smoking status, alcohol consumption, physical activity levels, and conditions such as diabetes and ischemic heart disease.
Derk W Krieger, MD, PhD, Professor of Neurology and Consultant Neurologist at Re:Cognition Health, spoke with Medical News Today about these findings.
“The age-specific finding may reflect the period when subclinical cerebrovascular disease becomes sufficiently prevalent to affect cognition, while cognitive impairment is still relatively sensitive to vascular brain injury rather than advanced age alone,” said Krieger, who was not involved in the study.
“The stronger association with memory and processing speed is biologically plausible because these functions depend on distributed neural and white-matter networks that are vulnerable to small-vessel disease and silent cerebrovascular injury,” he added.