Summary: Noticeable communication problems may be an early sign of mild cognitive impairment, a new study reports.

Source: Baycrest Center For Geriatric Care.

Early dementia is typically associated with memory and thinking problems; but older adults should also be vigilant about hearing and communication problems, suggest recent findings in a joint Baycrest-University of Memphis study.

Within older adults who scored below the normal benchmark on a dementia screening test, but have no noticeable communication problems, scientists have discovered a new potential predictor of early dementia through abnormal functionality in regions of the brain that process speech (the brainstem and auditory cortex).

These brain regions are thought to be more resilient to Alzheimer’s. However, this discovery demonstrates changes occur early in the brain’s conversion of speech sound into understandable words. This finding could be the first sign of decline in brain function related to communication that presents itself before individuals become…