A recent study published in JAMA Network Open suggests that asthma is linked to impaired memory, especially in individuals who developed the condition at a young age.
The research found that children with asthma scored lower on memory tasks and executive functions than children without asthma, with those who developed the condition early scoring lower on memory tests.
Episodic memory, which involves recalling specific details of past events, depends on the integrity of the hippocampus, where new connections are constantly formed in response to environmental stimuli.
This type of memory includes remembering the time and place of an event, the people involved and the emotions and thoughts experienced at that moment.
Research in older adults and animal models has previously indicated that asthma is associated with a higher risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, both of which can effect memory.
In accordance, a PhD candidate in psychology at UC Davis and the study’s first author, Nicholas Christopher-Hayes said, "Asthma might set children on a trajectory that could increase their risk to later develop something more serious like dementia as adults".
Rodent models have shown that asthma can damage the hippocampus, a part of brain that is sensitive to inflammation, similarly breathing problems from asthma can lead to periods of low oxygen in the brain, which may harm the hippocampus.
Other studies have found that children with asthma struggle with attention, visual memory and they also have trouble concentrating.
