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• Posted May 14, 2026

Heart Attack Survivors Have Higher Risk Of Brain Decline

People who have survived a heart attack appear to have a higher risk of brain decline into dementia, a new study says.

On average, heart attack survivors have a yearly 5% increased risk of developing cognitive impairment, researchers reported today in the journal Stroke.

“Having had a heart attack in the past may speed up the decline in memory and thinking over time,” said lead researcher Dr. Mohamed Ridha, an assistant professor of neurology at Ohio State University in Columbus.

“Given the rising burden of dementia and cognitive decline among Americans, it is important to understand how cardiovascular disease affects their brain health,” Ridha said in a news release. “This knowledge can help heart attack survivors take steps to improve their brain health as they age.”

For the new study, researchers tracked the brain function of nearly 21,000 men and women over a 10-year period.

The participants underwent a medical interview and electrocardiogram at the start of the study to determine whether they’d had a heart attack in the past.

About 1,100 reported a heart attack and 281 had experienced the clinical symptoms of a heart attack. Another 804 had suffered a silent heart attack, based on their ECG readings.

After that initial assessment, participants underwent a simple cognitive screening with six questions once a year for a decade.

Results showed that people who’d had a silent heart attack experienced an accelerated rate of brain decline compared to those who hadn’t had a heart attack.

This matters more for women, who more often experienced silent heart attacks, researchers said.

“Our study found that those who have had a heart attack, including silent heart attacks, are one of those groups at higher risk,” Ridha said. “It’s important for clinicians who care for heart attack survivors to also provide counseling on ways to avoid cognitive decline and dementia.”

These results could mean that a heart attack is a red flag for circulatory problems that also can cause stroke and brain decline, said Dr. Elisabeth (Liz) Marsh, director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore.

“A previous heart attack may be a sign of more widespread blood vessel disease throughout the body, not just in the heart,” Marsh, who reviewed the findings, said in a news release.

“However, more research is needed to better understand what’s really driving this connection and how damage in different blood vessels may be linked to changes in brain health,” she added.

More information

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has more on heart health and dementia.

SOURCES: American Heart Association, news release, May 14, 2026; Stroke; May 14, 2026