However, age-related cognitive decline is quite different from Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and should not be confused with those, experts say. During the course of the research, however, over 1,000 of the participants had an acute myocardial infarction, or heart attack. Past studies found linkThis isn’t the first study to find a connection between accelerated cognitive decline and heart attacks, Smith and Silbert noted. As in the new study, people with heart attacks or angina (chest pain) had annual rates of cognitive decline before the attack similar to those of people who never had a heart attack, but then experienced accelerated cognitive decline, they added. Possible explanations may include depression after having a heart attack, which has been linked to dementia, they said.

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Persons: What’s, Eric Smith, Lisa Silbert, Smith, ” Smith, Silbert, ” Organizations: CNN, Cognitive Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine, Aging Locations: United States, Alberta, Portland, White