Curie Brief
Turn on cookies to sign in
Signing in saves your progress to your Curie account. We can only do that with cookies on — turn them on to continue.
News
Think of it as your brain sending an early warning signal. A large Swedish study found that adults in their 60s who scored poorly on cognitive tests — measuring memory, processing speed, and overall thinking — had up to 86% higher risk of stroke years later. The link didn't hold for people in their 70s or 80s, suggesting the 60s may be a critical window for stroke screening and prevention.
A large Swedish longitudinal study has found that adults in their 60s who score poorly on cognitive tests face a significantly higher risk of stroke years down the line — a finding that could reshape how clinicians approach stroke prevention in midlife.
Researchers analyzed data from over 4,900 adults in the Good Aging in Skåne (GÅS) database over a mean follow-up of 12.3 years. Among those aged 60–69, low scores in global cognition, episodic memory, and perceptual speed were each independently linked to elevated stroke risk — even after adjusting for lifestyle and vascular risk factors. Notably, these associations disappeared in adults aged 70 and older, pointing to the 60s as a uniquely sensitive window. Sex differences also emerged: the associations were statistically significant only in men, with women in the same age group showing no significant link between cognitive scores and stroke risk.
This study flips the usual narrative — instead of asking how stroke affects cognition, it asks whether cognition can predict stroke. If confirmed in more diverse populations, simple cognitive tests could become a practical, low-cost screening tool to flag high-risk individuals in their 60s before a stroke ever occurs.
