Cardiovascular risk 'linked to cognitive decline'

People with stroke and heart disease risk factors could be at a higher chance of experiencing cognitive decline a new study has suggested.

The research investigated 73 older adults who had not had a stroke and did not have dementia, finding that participants had a greater risk of decline in verbal fluency and the ability to ignore irrelevant information.

Lead author Jonathan Gooblar said: "The findings reveal that if you control for age, education and gender, participants with higher risk for stroke perform significantly more poorly in verbal fluency and in inhibition, even when controlling for a history of stroke and dementia."

Meanwhile, scientists have identified four new genes that heighten predisposition to Alzheimer's disease.

The research, published in journal Nature Genetics, intend the findings to improve treatment for the condition by enabling medical professionals to detect which individuals are likely to develop the disease.

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