A new study suggests that electrocardiogram (ECG) tests, combined with artificial intelligence (AI), could one day help detect early aging and memory issues. This research will be presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference in Los Angeles from February 5-7, 2025.
ECG tests measure the heart’s electrical activity. Researchers created an AI model called a deep neural network (DNN) to predict a person’s biological age (how old their body cells and tissues are) using ECG data. Biological age can differ from chronological age (the number of years a person has lived).
The study’s lead author, Bernard Ofosuhene, explained that ECG-age reflects the health of the heart and possibly the entire body. It can provide clues about aging and overall health. Earlier studies showed that ECG-age could predict heart disease and death, but its link to memory problems was unclear until now.
Researchers analyzed data from over 63,000 participants in the UK Biobank, a large study of over 500,000 UK volunteers aged 40-69. Participants took cognitive tests, and their ECG-age was calculated using the AI model. Based on their ECG-age compared to their actual age, they were divided into three groups: normal aging, accelerated aging (older ECG-age), and decelerated aging (younger ECG-age).
The results showed that:
- People with a younger ECG-age performed better on 6 out of 8 cognitive tests.
- People with an older ECG-age performed worse on 6 out of 8 cognitive tests.
Ofosuhene encouraged healthcare professionals to use ECG data to look for signs of memory decline, which could help with early diagnosis and treatment.
However, the study has some limitations. It focused on people aged 43-85, so the findings may not apply to other age groups. Also, the study only looked at data from one point in time, so it doesn’t show how cognitive function changes over time. Additionally, most participants were of European ancestry, so the results may not apply to other populations.
Future research will explore whether gender affects the link between ECG-age and memory performance and if the findings hold true for more diverse groups.
Dr. Fernando D. Testai, a brain health expert not involved in the study, said the research highlights the strong connection between heart and brain health. He added that using ECG data and AI to assess memory could be faster and more objective than traditional methods. However, more research is needed to see if ECG data can predict future memory decline, which could lead to better treatments.
Source: heart
