Camilla Jessen
A new study shows speech patterns could become a powerful tool for early detection.
A new study from the University of Toronto is changing how scientists think about early signs of dementia.
While memory loss has long been the main focus of Alzheimer’s screenings, this research suggests that the way a person speaks may be a more reliable indicator of early cognitive decline.
The study, which included participants aged 18 to 90, asked subjects to describe images and recognize objects while responding to sound cues.
While that may sound like a standard test, what researchers found was anything but expected.
Speech Pace More Telling Than Memory Recall
The results showed that speech speed had a stronger link to brain health than memory performance.
Participants who spoke more quickly and with fewer pauses consistently performed better on cognitive tasks than those who spoke slowly or hesitated often.
“It’s common for older adults to speak more slowly or use more filler words like ‘uh’ and ‘mmm,’” explained psychologist KT Wei. “But now we know that those patterns may also hint at something deeper going on in the brain.”
This doesn’t mean every slow speaker has dementia, but the study makes clear that changes in speech patterns—often brushed off as normal aging—can be early warning signs.
AI Joins the Fight Against Alzheimer’s
What makes this discovery especially promising is how it can be applied in real life—through technology.
Modern artificial intelligence tools can now analyze speech and predict the risk of Alzheimer’s with up to 80 percent accuracy, researchers say.
By focusing on things like the length of pauses between words and overall speech rhythm, AI systems can spot patterns that humans might miss.
This builds on earlier findings from Stanford University in 2024, which linked slower speech to the buildup of tau proteins in the brain—a key sign of Alzheimer’s disease.
Together, these studies are creating a path toward a new kind of diagnosis: one that doesn’t rely on brain scans or complicated memory tests, but instead uses natural conversation as a window into cognitive health.
A Simpler Way to Detect a Complex Disease
Millions of people worldwide are affected by dementia, and one of the biggest challenges remains catching it early.
Current tools like MRI scans or memory testing are often expensive, time-consuming, or only used after symptoms become more noticeable.
But this new research suggests we may already have a simpler, more accessible way to identify risks—just by listening.
If further validated, speech analysis could help doctors, caregivers, and even AI apps catch the earliest signs of dementia long before other symptoms appear.
That could mean earlier treatment, better planning, and potentially slowing the disease’s progression.
The article is based on information from Kaldata.com.
