Fact checked by Nick Blackmer
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- Frequent pauses and word-finding struggles were linked to lower executive function in a new study.
- Researchers think everyday speech could someday help detect subtle cognitive changes.
- However, occasionally saying “um” or forgetting a word is normal, especially with age.
Tiny speech habits—pausing to find a word, saying “uh” or “um,” or losing your train of thought mid-sentence—may reveal more about your brain health than previously thought.
In a new study, researchers found that these everyday speech patterns are closely linked to executive function—the mental skills that help you to plan, focus attention, remember information, and juggle tasks. The findings suggest that ordinary conversation could one day become a simple tool for identifying subtle cognitive changes before they would otherwise be noticed.
“If someone is actually developing dementia, then it develops several decades even before the symptoms really manifest and it becomes diagnosable,” said senior author Jed Meltzer, PhD, a senior scientist at Rotman Research Institute. “We are interested in identifying it early.”
What the New Study Found
The study examined what natural speech patterns can show about how well a person’s executive function is working.
Researchers studied two data sets of people—one looking at 67 healthy adults, ages 65 to 75, and one looking at 174 healthy adults, ages 18 to 90. The study participants were asked to describe pictures aloud and complete other established executive function tests.
Computer analysis was then used to look at different features of speech, including pauses, hesitations, word-finding difficulties, and fluency, among other things.
Their data showed that people with better executive functioning tended to have fewer word-finding problems when speaking, including fewer long pauses while finding words—either silent or filled with “uh” or “um”—and smoother speech altogether. This wasn’t just true for older adults—the same patterns appeared across adults ages 18 to 90, as well.
Other speech patterns, including the detail with which they described images and how coherent their descriptions were, didn’t yield the same results in predicting executive function skills.
“Most of these other things were not diagnostic of executive function,” Meltzer said. “It was really the word-finding difficulty.”
What This Could Mean for Dementia Screening
It’s important to note that the new study did not look directly at speech patterns and dementia risk. The research does not show that people who had more word-finding and speech difficulties had a higher risk of eventually developing dementia.
But in looking at speech patterns and how they may predict executive functioning, researchers believe speech could eventually become a screening tool for detecting subtle cognitive decline.
That’s because executive function naturally declines with age and is often affected during the early stages of dementia. However, the researchers stress that normal aging, stress, fatigue, and many other factors can also affect speech fluency.
Though established cognitive tests are available—like the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), used in the new study—they can be difficult to repeat frequently, because they’re often lengthy and people can become familiar with the test.
Additionally, in the new study, speech and executive functioning scores were not predictive of participants’ scores on the MoCA test. “I think the main reason for that is the MoCA test itself is an untimed test,” said Meltzer. “So it’s not really sensitive for people getting slower.”
It’s for those reasons, researchers said, that natural speech may eventually offer an alternative to cognitive impairment and dementia screening
“This research sets the stage for exciting opportunities to develop tools that could help track cognitive changes in clinics or even at home,” Meltzer said in a press release. “Early detection is critical for any cure or intervention, as dementia involves progressive degeneration of the brain that may be slowed.”
What This Means for You Right Now
The new research suggests that if someone frequently has to pause to search for the right word or has noticeable word-finding difficulty, it may reflect their executive functioning skills—not that the person has early-stage dementia. So saying “uh” or “um,” or having to take a little longer to find the word you want shouldn’t cause too much alarm.
“Word-finding difficulty is a normal part of aging,” said Meltzer, adding that other various things can make you stumble over words, including stress or fatigue.
But you should still pay attention to your cognitive health and how it changes over time.
“Everyone has moments of forgetfulness,” Kristen Lewandowski, MA, CCC-SLP, Instructional Assistant Professor for the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at the University of Florida, told Health. But “if it happens persistently, enough to affect your day-to-day functioning, or tasks that you used to be able to do,” that’s when to consider checking in with a physician.
“If you want to have your cognition intact when you’re in your 70s and 80s, then taking care of it lifelong is important,” said Meltzer. “Even if you’re not worried about actually getting Alzheimer’s disease.”
