A new study links so-called “silent strokes” with memory loss in the elderly.
Those in the study who had experienced this condition, which creates small dead spots of inactive brain cells, scored worse on memory tests than others.
The study, which was reported in the Jan. 3 issue of the medical journal Neurology and was supported by the National Institutes of Health, looked at 685 people at least 65 years old who had never experienced dementia; 174 had experienced silent strokes. Tests measured participants’ memory, language, visual perception, and the speed at which they processed information.
“Given that conditions like Alzheimer’s disease are defined mainly by memory problems, our results may lead to further insight into what causes symptoms and the development of new interventions for prevention,” said study author Adam M. Brickman. “Since silent strokes and the volume of the hippocampus appeared to be associated with memory loss separately in our study, our results also support stroke prevention as a means for staving off memory problems.”