Silent strokes may be generating memory loss among older adults, a new study finds. Researchers indicate that in silent stroke, small pockets of dead brain cells are found in 25% of older adults.

The study reportedly targeted the investigation of memory loss in older adults, in tandem with the occurrence of brain shrinkage, explains Adam Brickman, PhD, study author, Taub Insititute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, NY. According to researchers, the study encompassed 658 men and women aged 65 years and older. To gauge the participants’ capacities in terms of memory, language skills, thinking speed, and visual perception, MRI brain scans were reportedly used alongside testing.

The results suggested that 174 participants had suffered silent strokes and researchers add that these participants also exhibited poor performances during memory exams. Brickman reiterates the study’s findings adding that, “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 of staving off memory problems.” 

The study was recently published in an American Academy of Neurology news release.

Source: American Academy of Neurology