Many older people think that losing your train of thought or not being able to remember words or phrases signals cognitive decline. But a breakthrough study by Toronto researchers found that how fast you talk is a more accurate indicator of brain health.

According to Study Finds, researchers from the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care and the University of Toronto say this is one of the first studies to assess differences in natural speech and brain health among a group of healthy adults.

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“Our results indicate that changes in general talking speed may reflect changes in the brain,” said Dr. Jed Meltzer, lead author of the study. “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 the age.”

For this study, 125 volunteers, aged 18 to 90, went through three separate tests to evaluate cognitive function. In the first, they were asked questions about pictures while being distracted by words they heard through headphones. Secondly, the volunteers were recorded as they described two complex pictures for 60 seconds each.  Their language performance was analyzed using AI-based software, says a Baycrest media release. In the third assessment, participants completed standard tests to evaluate mental abilities that tend to decline with age and are linked to dementia risk. These tests were designed to measure executive function, the ability to manage conflicting information, stay focused and avoid distractions.

What the researchers discovered was that while many abilities decline with age, including word finding speed, and the ability to recognize a picture and recall its name, it wasn’t the number of pauses participants took to find words that was linked to brain health. Instead, it was the speed of speech surrounding the pauses that showed the strongest association to brain health.

So, while older people may fret about their need to pause to search for words, the new study suggests this is a normal part of aging. On the other hand, slowing down of speech, regardless of pausing, could be a stronger indicator of changes to brain health.

Future research could examine whether speech speed is a true indicator of cognitive health and could therefore help clinicians detect cognitive decline as early as possible. Physicians could then prescribe interventions to help patients maintain or even improve brain health as they age.