Lower Scores On These Brain Tests Were Linked To 86% Higher Stroke Risk
What if a simple memory test could tell you something about your health 10 years from now?
We usually think of cognitive tests as a way to measure how well our brains are aging. They can help assess memory, attention, and how quickly we process information. But our brains don't operate independently of the rest of our bodies.
They're constantly relying on healthy blood flow, which means the way we think and remember may reflect more than cognitive health alone. Researchers are beginning to explore just how much information these tests might hold about our future cardiovascular health.
Tracking cognitive performance & stroke risk over 12 years
In a new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, researchers followed ~5,000 Swedish adults ages 60 and older who had no history of stroke, mini-stroke, or dementia when they enrolled.
Participants completed a series of cognitive tests measuring memory, processing speed, verbal fluency, and problem-solving skills. Researchers combined the results to estimate overall thinking ability, then grouped participants into low, middle, or high performance categories relative to others their age.
Rather than looking only at cognitive performance at one point in time, the team connected those initial test scores with national health records to see who experienced a first-time stroke in the years that followed.
Over an average of 12.3 years, 572 participants had a stroke. The researchers also examined different age groups separately, allowing them to see whether cognitive performance carried the same implications for someone in their 60s as it did for someone in their 80s.
Lower cognitive scores were linked to higher stroke risk
The clearest relationship appeared among adults ages 60 to 69. Compared with people who scored highest on the cognitive tests, those with lower scores had:
- 86% higher stroke risk for lower overall thinking ability
- 68% higher stroke risk for lower memory performance
- 66% higher stroke risk for slower information processing
Interestingly, researchers didn't find the same pattern among participants in their 70s or 80s after accounting for other health and lifestyle factors.
One possible explanation involves what researchers call silent brain injuries. These changes can occur without obvious symptoms but may affect cognitive performance and increase the likelihood of a future stroke. Among people in their 60s, lower test scores might make those early vascular changes easier to detect.
By older ages, additional medical conditions, medications, and other factors can influence cognitive performance, making the relationship more complicated.
Importantly, this was an observational study. It doesn't establish that lower cognitive performance causes strokes or that improving a test score will reduce stroke risk. The findings suggest that cognitive testing could eventually help doctors identify people who may benefit from a closer look at their vascular health.
The importance of lifelong learning
You don't have to wait until your 60s to start taking brain health seriously. And while this study didn't look specifically at lifelong learning, it offers another reason to keep your brain engaged as you get older.
That can be as simple as picking up a new hobby, learning a language, reading something that challenges you, or finally signing up for that class you've been thinking about. These activities give your brain something new to work through, and many come with the added benefit of connecting you with other people.
Of course, learning a new skill isn't a guaranteed way to prevent a stroke. But this research does remind us that taking care of your brain and taking care of your heart go hand in hand.
That means paying attention to things like blood pressure and blood sugar, staying physically active, and making time for activities that keep you mentally and socially engaged. And if you start noticing persistent changes in your memory or thinking, bring them up with your doctor rather than assuming they're just part of getting older.
The takeaway
It's easy to put brain health on the back burner when you're young, especially when your memory feels sharp, and you don't have any obvious concerns.
But the habits that support a healthy brain are worth building long before you reach retirement age. This study suggests that changes in cognitive performance may offer clues about vascular health years before a stroke occurs, although a lower test score certainly doesn't mean a stroke is inevitable.
So keep finding things that challenge your brain, whether that's learning a new language, taking up tennis, or getting lost in a good book. And give your cardiovascular health the same attention.