Stroke risk predicts verbal fluency decline in healthy older men: Evidencefrom the normative aging study

Risk factors for stroke cause ischemic changes in the cerebral white matter that may affect frontal lobe functions more than other brain functions. Th erefore, stroke risk could specifically affect performance on behavioral in dexes traditionally associated with frontal lobe function such as verbal fl uency. The authors examined this hypothesis in 235 healthy older men (mean age = 66.41 years) who received concurrent medical and neuropsychological e xaminations twice at a 3-year interval. Relations between stroke risk and d ecline in verbal fluency, memory, and visuospatial performance were analyze d through regression, controlling for age and education. Age was associated with decline in all cognitive functions; stroke risk was associated with d ecline only on verbal fluency. The relation between stroke risk and fluency decline was 80% as large as that between age and fluency decline. These re sults suggest that stroke risk rivals the effects of aging on verbal fluenc y performance.