Study shows memory loss can start at 45. Implications for business.

January 7, 2012 | By Kim Walker

The finding from a 10-year study of more than 7,000 British government workers contradicts previous notions that cognitive decline does not begin before 60 years of age, and it could have far-reaching implications for dementia research…. and for businesses marketing to, or employing, people over 45 years of age..

According to this article from Reuters, The research team led by Archana Singh-Manoux from the Center for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health in France and University College London found a modest decline in mental reasoning in men and women aged 45-49 years.

Among older subjects in the study, the average decline in cognitive function was greater, but there was a wide variation at all ages, with a third of individuals aged 45-70 showing no deterioration over the period.

“It doesn’t suddenly happen when you get old. That variability exists much earlier on,” Singh-Manoux said.

Participants were assessed three times during the study, using tests for memory, vocabulary, and aural and visual comprehension skills.

Over the 10-year period, there was a 3.6 percent decline in mental reasoning in both men and women aged 45-49 at the start of the study, while the decline for men aged 65-70 was 9.6 percent and 7.4 percent for women.

Since the youngest individuals at the start of the study were 45, it is possible that the decline in cognition might have commenced even earlier. So despite the protests and denials of 45+ there is now clear evidence of cognitive decline.

In a marketing context, this could affect the memorability of brand communications, the online and traditional retailing experience and so much more and is therefore a key consideration of being age-friendly.

The research findings were published on 5 January 2012 in the British Medical Journal.