Skip to main content

Incident Stroke Tied to Acute, Accelerated Long-Term Cognitive Decline

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Oct 4, 2024.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Oct. 3, 2024 -- For older stroke survivors, incident stroke is associated with acute and accelerated long-term cognitive decline, according to a study published online Oct. 2 in JAMA Network Open.

Jessica W. Lo, from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, and colleagues mapped the trajectory of cognitive function before and after stroke in global cognition and in four cognitive domains in a study using harmonized and pooled data from 14 population-based cohort studies. The analyses included 20,860 participants (mean age, 72.9 years) who were followed for 7.51 years.

The researchers observed an association between incident stroke and a substantial acute decline in global cognition (−0.25 standard deviation [SD]), the Mini-Mental State Examination, and all cognitive domains (ranging from −0.17 to −0.22 SD) relative to a stroke-free cognitive trajectory. In addition, there was accelerated decline in global cognition (−0.038 SD per year) and all domains except memory (ranging from −0.020 to −0.055 SD per year). Compared with the rate of decline in individuals without stroke, no significant difference in prestroke slope was seen in stroke survivors in all cognitive measures. In global cognition, the mean rate of decline without a previous stroke was −0.049 SD per year.

"Targeting modifiable vascular risk factors at an early stage may reduce the risk of stroke but also subsequent risk of stroke-related cognitive decline and cognitive impairment," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text

Editorial

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Exposure to Certain HIV Drugs May Significantly Lower Risk for Alzheimer Disease

TUESDAY, May 20, 2025 -- Exposure to nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), which treat HIV and hepatitis B and inhibit inflammasome activation, is associated with a...

Overwork Tied to Structural Changes in Brains of Health Care Workers

MONDAY, May 19, 2025 -- Overwork in health care workers is associated with structural brain changes, particularly in regions linked to cognition and emotion, according to a study...

Greater Sedentary Time Associated With Higher Risk for Alzheimer Disease

FRIDAY, May 16, 2025 -- Sedentary time is associated with an increased risk for Alzheimer disease (AD), according to a study published online May 13 in Alzheimer's &...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.