Most of us often forget the word we’re looking for — but is this a normal thing or a sign that your brain is ageing? Researchers from the University of Toronto set out to figure out what's going on, and they found it's the speed of your speech that could be a more accurate indicator of your brain’s health rather than forgetting words (Picture: Getty)

What did the researchers do?

Speaking to 125 healthy adults, aged between 18 to 90, the researchers asked their participants to describe a scene in detail. They then analysed the recordings using AI, to look details such as the speed of talking, the duration of pauses between words and the range of words used. The participants also had to complete tests to measure their concentration, thinking speed and their ability to plan and carry out tasks (Picture: Getty)

The researchers also used a picture-word interference task, designed to separate the two steps to name an object – finding the right word and instructing the mouth on how to say it. The participants were shown pictures of everyday objects while the researchers played an audio clip of a word either related in meaning or which sounds similar (Picture: Getty)

What did they find?

They found that the natural speech speed of older adults was related to their quickness in naming pictures. They say that this could indicate a general slowdown in processing could couple with broader cognitive and linguistic changes with age, rather than a specific issue of recalling words. Further findings revealed that people who spoke more slowly also scored lower on tasks requiring planning and focus, even when word-finding errors were rare (Picture: Getty)

The researchers said in The Conversation: ‘While the findings from this study are interesting, finding words in response to picture-based cues may not reflect the complexity of vocabulary in unconstrained everyday conversation. Verbal fluency tasks, which require participants to generate as many words as possible from a given category (for example, animals or fruits) or starting with a specific letter within a time limit, may be used with picture-naming to better capture the “tip-of-the-tongue” phenomenon’ (Picture: Getty)

What is the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon?

The tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon is when someone has a temporary inability to retrieve a word from memory, despite the feeling that the word is known. However, the researchers say that the verbal fluency tasks are considered a better test of everyday conversations than the picture-word interference task because they involve the active retrieval and production of words from your own vocabulary. So, poor performance on these tasks can indicate neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s (Picture: Getty)

How can you keep your brain active?

Everyday habits are important. Keeping your brain sharp with conversations, word games, and even learning new languages can help keep neural pathways exercised. It is also important to maintain a healthy sleep schedule, as well as a healthy diet with a lower intake of alcohol which can help prevent cognitive decline and reduce the risk of dementia (Picture: Getty)