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Adult Kids of Stroke Sufferers May Show Signs of Brain Aging, Too
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WEDNESDAY, Feb. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Many adults whose parents suffered a stroke before age 65 experience vascular changes as well as brain aging in middle age that may precede a stroke, a recent study finds. It included nearly 1,300 participants with an average age of 61 who underwent MRI brain scans to assess their brain health, including total brain volume, the volume of pale matter lesions as well as other signs of aging or damage to brain tissue. The participants as well as underwent tests to assess various mental abilities, including verbal memory, abstract reasoning, verbal learning as well as visuospatial memory, which is the ability to recall objects presented visually. The study was to be presented Wednesday at the American Stroke Association meeting in Recent Orleans. Nearly 10 percent of the participants had one or both parents who suffered a stroke before age 65. Strokes occur when blood flow to the brain ceases. The scans showed these offspring had a higher volume of pale matter lesions, equivalent to a difference of nearly three years in brain age, researchers said in an association news release. A follow-up of about six years found they were as well as the most likely to perform poorly on tests of visuospatial memory as well as were more likely to possess a worsening of executive functioning, which controls attention as well as the ability to plan. However, having a parent who suffered a stroke before age 65 did not affect a person's total brain volume or verbal memory, abstract reasoning as well as verbal learning. Because this study was presented at a health examination meeting, the data as well as conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. -- Robert Preidt  Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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