The Speed With Which You Talk Could Indicate Risk Of Dementia, Study Finds

Conducted by researchers from the University of Toronto, the study found that the speed of speech could be a more important indicator of brain health than difficulty finding words, which happens naturally as people age.

People have different ways of talking. Some are soft speakers, and some speak confidently and articulately. Some people take long pauses and think while speaking, while others speak really fast. Could speech, in any way, indicate mental health disorders, including the risk of dementia? Citing a new study, an Independent report mentioned that talking speed can be an indicator of brain health. Specifically, the study points to a link between declining pace of speech and dementia. Dementia is a general term for the impaired ability to remember or make decisions that interfere with everyday activities. Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia. Though it mostly affects older adults, dementia is not a part of normal ageing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states.

Important Indicator Of Brain Health

Conducted by researchers from the University of Toronto, the study found that the speed of speech could be a more important indicator of brain health than difficulty finding words, which happens naturally as people age. According to the Independent report, scientists hope that the findings may lead to the development of 'new tools and interventions' to detect cognitive decline as early as possible and help ageing patients maintain their brain health.

Study co-author Jed Meltzer was quoted as saying, "Our results indicate that changes in general talking speed may reflect changes in the brain. This suggests that talking speed should be tested as part of standard cognitive assessments to help clinicians detect cognitive decline faster and help older adults support their brain health as they age."

But, there is a twist. The findings may not indicate that training to speak faster would have impacts on brain health in older people.

Dementia Research: How It Was Conducted

• During the research, 125 healthy participants between the ages of 18 and 90 years completed three different assessments. One test, per the Independent report, was a 'picture-naming game' in which participants had to answer specific questions about pictures while ignoring distractions in the form of words they heard through headphones.
• Another test comprised volunteers being recorded while describing two 'complex' pictures for 60 seconds each, with an AI-based software analysing their 'language performance'.
• Then, there were some routine tests done to assess mental abilities that tend to decline as people age, and are associated with dementia risk. It was found that many abilities decline with age, such as the 'word-finding speed'.

Scientists reportedly said slowing down of normal speech may be a more important indicator of crucial brain health changes.