New research from the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) has revealed that older adults who experience a stroke for the first time are likely to face an immediate and long-term decline in their cognitive abilities.
This means that after a stroke, people may struggle more with thinking, memory, and decision-making.
The study, published in JAMA Network Open, looked at how strokes impact a person’s brain function.
A stroke happens when blood flow to part of the brain is blocked, damaging brain cells.
Earlier research from CHeBA showed that over one-third of stroke survivors experience significant difficulties with thinking and memory, often leading to vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia caused by reduced blood flow to the brain.
Jess Lo, the lead researcher and biostatistician at CHeBA, explained that while it’s normal for cognitive abilities to change as we age, certain health conditions, like stroke, can speed up these changes, potentially leading to dementia. “We wanted to understand how stroke affects cognitive abilities both in the short and long term,” Lo said.
The research analyzed data from 14 studies involving 20,860 older adults from 11 countries, including Australia, Brazil, France, and the United States. These participants, with an average age of 73, had no prior history of stroke or dementia. The researchers tracked their cognitive abilities over time, identifying those who experienced their first stroke during the study.
The findings showed that while all participants experienced some cognitive decline due to aging, those who had a stroke faced a much sharper and immediate drop in cognitive function after their stroke. This decline affected areas like language, thinking speed, and decision-making. Over time, the cognitive decline continued at a faster rate than before the stroke.
Additionally, the study found that people with conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, depression, or those who smoked or carried the APOE4 gene, were more likely to experience faster cognitive decline even before a stroke.
According to Lo, this suggests that addressing risk factors early on, such as controlling blood pressure and quitting smoking, could help prevent strokes and reduce the risk of long-term cognitive decline.
Professor Perminder Sachdev, co-director of CHeBA and senior author of the study, emphasized that the research highlights the lasting impact a stroke can have on brain health. “Our findings can help clinicians better plan for the needs of stroke survivors to improve their quality of life,” Sachdev said.
If you care about stroke, please read studies about how to eat to prevent stroke, and diets high in flavonoids could help reduce stroke risk.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about how Mediterranean diet could protect your brain health, and wild blueberries can benefit your heart and brain.
