Adults in their 60s who perform worse on tests of thinking ability, memory and information-processing speed face a significantly higher risk of stroke later in life, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. The study, conducted in Sweden, followed nearly 5,000 adults aged 60 and older for an average of 12 years and found that those with the lowest cognitive scores had a markedly increased risk of first-time stroke.
Specifically, among participants aged 60-69, lower overall thinking ability was linked to an 86% higher risk of stroke, lower memory scores to a 68% higher risk, and slower information-processing speed to a 66% higher risk, compared to peers with the highest scores. The same pattern was not observed in older age groups after adjusting for other health and lifestyle factors. Over 10% of all participants experienced a first stroke during follow-up.
Lead author Alice Askemyr, M.D., a geriatrics researcher at Lund University and Skane University Hospital in Malmo, Sweden, explained that the age-specific findings may reflect the presence of undetected brain injuries. “So-called ‘silent’ brain injuries can affect both cognitive functioning and the future risk of stroke,” she said. “They affect roughly 70% of adults over age 70, so their effects may be easier to detect among people in their 60s, when such injuries and other factors that can affect cognition, including medical conditions and medications, are less common.”
The study’s implications extend beyond identifying risk. Elisabeth Breese Marsh, M.D., FAHA, chair of the 2026 American Heart Association Scientific Statement, Brain Health Across the Life Span: A Framework for Future Studies, who was not involved in the research, emphasized that midlife is a critical window for prevention. “This study, in conjunction with others, supports how important it is to be aggressive in managing vascular risk factors and focusing on brain health in midlife, before many people typically begin to think about it,” Marsh said. She added that the findings provide “a new potential screening factor to identify those with higher stroke risk.”
The research, part of the Good Aging in Skane project, used standardized tests of memory, processing speed, verbal fluency and executive function. While the observational study cannot prove cause and effect, it adds to growing evidence that overall health, lifestyle and environment can affect brain health and cognition over time. The findings may help clinicians identify high-risk individuals earlier, when preventive measures such as blood pressure control and lifestyle changes are most effective. For more information on stroke risk factors, see the American Stroke Association’s Stroke Risk Factors page.
Co-authors, disclosures and funding sources are listed in the manuscript. Additional resources include an American Heart Association news release, Brain health shaped by lifetime mental, physical, environmental and lifestyle factors, and another on Older adults’ driving habits offer window into brain health, cognitive decline. The original release is available on www.newmediawire.com.
