A new study found that people who have had a heart attack may be at risk of an accelerated rate of cognitive aging—equivalent to as much as 6 to 13 years.
The study by Johns Hopkins Medicine, published on May 30 in JAMA Neurology, examined the impact of a heart attack on overall cognitive function, memory, and brain skills known as executive functions—such as the ability to follow multi-step instructions and display self-control.
Researchers found that having a heart attack did not affect those three cognitive measures immediately following the event—rather, it impacted long-term brain health. Cognitive scores of those who had a heart attack accelerated over the next six or so years at a much steeper rate compared to those who did not, with the steepest annual rate of decline seen in older men compared with women….