Silent strokes or dead brain cells behind memory loss in elders

A new study has suggested that ‘silent strokes,’ or small spots of dead brain cells, found in about one out of four older adults may have lead to memory loss in the elderly.

A new study has suggested that ‘silent strokes,’ or small spots of dead brain cells, found in about one out of four older adults may have led to memory loss in the elderly.

“The new aspect of this study of memory loss in the elderly is that it examines silent strokes and hippocampal shrinkage simultaneously,” said study author Adam M. Brickman, PhD, of the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain at Columbia University Medical Center in New York.

A group of 658 people ages 65 and older and free of dementia were given MRI brain scans in the study. Participants also underwent tests that measured their memory, language, speed at processing information and visual perception. A total of 174 of the participants had silent strokes.

The study found people with silent strokes scored somewhat worse on memory tests than those without silent strokes. This was true whether or not people had a small hippocampus, which is the memory centre of the brain.

“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 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,” he added.

The study has been published in the January 3, 2012, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.