We all do it.
Say the word um a thousand times a year. Throw in an uh. Pause while searching for that one word that was right on the tip of your tongue five minutes ago. It is human. It is normal.
But new research suggests there is a difference between thinking hard and thinking poorly.
A study led by teams at Baycrest Centre, the University of Toronto, and York University found specific speech patterns that might signal early cognitive decline. They weren’t just looking at speed. They used AI to parse recordings of people describing detailed images.
The algorithm picked up on filler words. Pauses. Trouble retrieving simple terms.
“Difficulty finding common words is a feature we look for in dementia.”
— Dr. Heather Whitson (Duke University)
Here is the catch.
Whitson was not involved in this specific study, but her warning applies broadly. Forgetting the name of a restaurant is not the same as losing the language for basic concepts. Most people start showing minor drops in formal cognitive test scores around age thirty. It happens to everyone. Doctors call it healthy aging.
Dr. Carolyn Fredericks (Yale) notes that the study identified a specific signature. It wasn’t just that everyone gets slower or more hesitant with time. It was that some people showed a distinct spike in these errors. Those are the ones potentially at higher risk.
Still. Breathe.
Missing a proper noun is often harmless.
“I remember the actor’s face perfectly, but the name escapes me.”
That is common. Even normal.
The study has flaws too. Culture matters. Family habits matter. Someone from the South might naturally speak slower with more pauses than someone from New England. That isn’t a brain tumor or Alzheimer’s. It is accent and cadence. Also, this data is a single snapshot. If you have always said uh since you were seven, this AI might mislabel your childhood habit as a symptom of disease.
So when do you actually worry?
Fredericks and Whitson agree. Don’t sweat the filler words.
Sweat the short-term memory lapses.
Sweet repeating questions within minutes.
Sweat getting lost in a parking lot you have visited daily for years.
Whitson says she worries about two specific things: severe trouble expressing ideas with ordinary dictionary words and misplacing items with no memory of where they were left. Not the keys. But the concept of where keys go.
Compare yourself to peers.
If your friend group collectively forgets the name of the new pizza place? You are fine.
If you are forgetting appointments while others are not? Call a doctor.
Good news though. You have some control here.
Whitson points to actionable steps. Start them in your twenties if you can.
* Control blood pressure. Strict control (systolic under 120) links to lower dementia risk.
* Move your body. Physical activity is arguably the most effective shield against cognitive decline.
* Fix your senses. Get hearing aids if needed. Get glasses. The brain needs input to stay wired.
* Sleep well. Eat well. A Mediterranean-style diet helps the heart. It helps the brain too.
Protect your head. Wear a helmet. Stop smoking. Keep socially and intellectually engaged.
The AI tool used in this research? Whitson calls it promising. It could eventually help detect subtle shifts in brain function before they become catastrophic.
For now though?
If you catch yourself saying um again. Keep talking. You are probably okay.
