A study carried out by researchers at the University of Toronto, Canada, reveals that speech speed is what indicates brain health in the elderly.
A person who presents letological experience, i.e. difficulty finding the right word to identify an object in verbal communication (what we know as “having the word on the tip of your tongue”), you may be presenting signs of Alzheimer’s diseaser in its early stages, and not necessarily a deterioration of its brain capabilities.
To reach these conclusions, experts analyzed, using advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) software, audio recordings of 125 adults between the ages of 18 and 90 as they described images that were shown to them.
Parameters such as vocabulary breadth (number of different words used), the length of pauses made and the speed at which they spoke. At the same time, the individuals studied participated in tests that allowed them to measure the concentration, speed of reasoning and the ability to organize and execute tasks of medium complexity.
It was concluded that with increasing age the decline of these skills is accompanied by a decrease in speech speed.
It has been demonstrated that the speed of speech in the elderly is related to the slowdown in brain processingand not the ability to recover words to express an idea.
Cognitive impairment or disease?
During normal aging, verbal fluency does not decrease significantly. However, the appearance of signs such as lower executive performance and slower speech can reveal age-related cognitive declinebut also neurodegenerative diseases in young adults.
During old age, adults inevitably suffer brain deteriorationwhich can lead to various types of dementia as a result of depressive states or side effects of medications taken. Between 30% and 50% of people over the age of 65 show various signs of cognitive impairment. Isolation, depression, stress, unhealthy lifestyle habits such as smoking, alcoholism and a sedentary lifestyle can accelerate memory loss and affect the elderly’s language.
Commitment to the future
According to data published by the UN in its latest report World Population Perspectives 2022, One of the biggest challenges worldwide is the trend towards an aging population. In 2022, people over the age of 65 constituted 9.7% of the world’s population; in 2030 this value is expected to reach 11.7% and in 2050 it is estimated to reach 16.4%.
Countries in Europe and North America will contribute 26.9% of elderly people in 2050, followed by Australia and New Zealand with 23.7% and Latin America and the Caribbean with 18.8%.
With a world population that will reach 9.7 billion people in 2050and when 1 in 6 people will be over 65, the ratio of people of working age to people over 65 is decreasing. This directly impacts the job market and the economic performance of countries.
Investigations like this one from the University of Toronto, which addresses early detection of cognitive deteriorationand not retrospectively like previous studies, contribute to knowledge of the final stage of life, to outline comprehensive strategies for inserting the elderly into life and society of the future.
News reference:
– Wei, H.; et al. Cognitive components of aging-related increase in word-finding difficulty. Taylor and Francis Online (2024).
