Regardless of race, experiencing a stroke ages the brain an average of roughly 8 years, according to a recently published study in the journal Stroke.
Researchers from the University of Michigan U-M Medical School and School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, Michigan worked with the local VA Center for Clinical Management Research in order to analyze data from over 4,900 black and white seniors over the age of 65.
The researchers were able to measure a stroke’s effect on brain power by measuring changes in cognitive test scores, according to a report on Medical News Today which quoted the study’s lead author, assistant professor Dr. Deborah Levine with the U-M Medical School, as having explained that the “results show the amount of cognitive aging that stroke brings on, and therefore the importance of stroke prevention to reduce the risk of cognitive decline.”
As we search for the key drivers of the known disparities in cognitive decline between blacks and whites, we focus here on the role of ‘health shocks’ such as stroke (…) Although we found that stroke does not explain the difference (…) these results show the amount of cognitive aging that stroke brings on, and therefore the importance of stroke prevention to reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
In the national data analyzed by the UM researchers, those analyzed had undergone tests of memory and thinking speed between 1998 and 2012. In those who suffered stroke, the test results showed a sudden aging of 7.9 years, WebMD reported.
In other stroke related coverage here at Immortal News, an unrelated study found top stroke centers to be too far away while another study that stroke centers can save hemorrhagic patients. And in those with high blood pressure, yet another unrelated study suggests folic acid could reduce stroke risk.
