Yahoo News Scientists Just Discovered a Possible New Sign of Early Dementia
It’s normal to forget a word here and there—especially when you’re put on the spot. But new research suggests that regularly struggling with finding the right words within a reasonable time could signal changes in the brain linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
The study, which was published in the journal Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, suggests that verbal reaction time could be an important thing for doctors to keep tabs on in the future.
Meet the Experts: James Powers, MD, is professor of medicine in the Division of Geriatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Clifford Segil, DO, is a neurologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California.
Here’s what the study found, plus how it impacts you.
What did the study find?
Researchers recruited 125 healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 90 and asked them to describe a scene in detail. Their descriptions were recorded and analyzed by artificial intelligence software to pull out elements like how fast the people spoke, how long they paused between words, and how much they varied the words they used in their descriptions.
The study participants also did a standard set of tests to measure concentration, thinking speed, and planning and carrying out tasks. That included a picture-word interference task, which had participants see pictures of everyday objects like a broom while hearing an audio clip of a word that was related (like “mop”) or that sounds similar (“groom”).
Researchers discovered that drops in these abilities—usually classified as being part of your “executive function”—were closely linked to the pace of a person’s speech, which suggests a decline in more than just trouble finding the right word.
What are the takeaways from the findings?
It’s important to note that the study didn’t find that people who speak slowly or have trouble finding words are experiencing cognitive decline. Instead, it found a link between several tests used to measure the beginning stages of cognitive decline and trouble with word-finding.
Still, “this lines up with what we have believed all along,” says James Powers, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Geriatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Powers says that there are several theories on why someone may have trouble with word finding when they have Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias. "It seems to be that processing speed is the issue.”
Powers stresses this, though: Struggling with word finding and speaking more slowly doesn’t mean you have dementia. “But in some people, it can be the first sign of dementia,” he says.
Clifford Segil, DO, a neurologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, agrees. “There are a lot of older people that talk slowly that don’t have dementia and there are a lot of younger people who talk slowly who don’t have dementia,” he says.
How can I improve my executive function as I age?
This is a little tricky. Speech and speech patterns are highly personal. It’s tough to say that if you’re, say, a slow talker, or if you tend to freeze up in social situations and forget certain words that you’re on the path to cognitive decline.
Powers say it can be tough to improve how fast you speak and how long you pause between words as you get older, but there are a few things you can try.
“Mind exercises, mind games, and memory games are definitely not harmful,” he says. While they won’t necessarily prevent cognitive decline, Powers says that they can help to “retrain” the brain.
Reading regularly can also be helpful to keep your brain engaged, Segil says.
Staying social, which requires you to think and react during conversations, can boost your brain power, too, Powers says. But Segil stresses that having actual conversations is important.
“Texting, typing, and emailing are not the same as talking,” he says.
If you’re concerned about your cognitive health, it’s a good idea to check in with a doctor. There are a lot of things that can cause you to have trouble finding your words, and getting evaluated is the best way to get to the bottom of things.
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