More Young Adults Say They’re Struggling With Memory and Focus, Yale Study Finds

More Americans say they’re having serious difficulties with memory, concentration, and decision-making. In a Yale-led analysis of national survey data, reports of cognitive issues have nearly doubled among younger adults over the past decade. 

Growing reports of cognitive disability

Researchers analyzed more than 4.5 million responses from the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System between 2013 and 2023, excluding 2020, when pandemic disruptions interfered with data collection. During that time, the share of adults who said they had “serious difficulty” with memory or concentration grew from 5.3 percent to 7.4 percent — nearly doubling among people aged 18 to 39.

“What stood out was the surprising rise among young adults,” said study author Dr. Adam de Havenon, associate professor of neurology at Yale School of Medicine.

“This isn’t a diagnosis of dementia,” de Havenon said. “It’s a subjective report of people saying they’re having serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions. With dementia, there’s a structural brain disease and a specific pathology that’s injuring the brain and leading to cognitive impairment.”

According to de Havenon, these reports don’t mean dementia is on the rise. But they do show that many people, including younger adults, feel their thinking skills aren’t what they used to be.

Why are more young people reporting cognitive problems?

It’s not yet clear why more adults are describing these difficulties. The researchers point to several possible explanations. 

One explanation could be growing awareness: As conversations about brain health become more common, people may be more attuned to changes in their own memory or focus. But it’s also possible that early signs of cognitive problems are being missed by standard screenings. “Either people are better at reporting it,” de Havenon said, “or we’re underdiagnosing it, and it’s occurring for reasons that we don’t understand yet.”

Social and health factors 

Chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease were linked to higher reports of cognitive trouble. The trend also followed social patterns: rates were higher among people with lower income or education levels, and among American Indian, Alaska Native, and Hispanic adults. 

“These are already well-known phenomena,” de Havenon said. “Cognitive impairment follows social determinants of health.”

Dr. Sid O’Bryant, who leads the Health & Aging Brain Study – Health Disparities (HABS-HD) at the University of North Texas, told Being Patient his team has seen similar patterns.

“We’re finding diabetes has a very strong impact on brain health, and we’re seeing that impact more among the Hispanic community, which is not surprising given the increased risk for diabetes,” he said, adding that diabetes is a modifiable risk factor and that effective interventions make it a major opportunity for prevention. 

He also noted that vascular issues are more common among Black participants in HABS-HD and more strongly associated with brain aging.

This is where the concept of precision medicine — tailoring care to an individual’s biology, culture, and environment — comes in, he added.

Public health implications

According to researchers, the findings add to evidence that protecting vascular health — by preventing stroke and heart disease — may also help protect brain health.

“My goal is to start talking about how vascular interventions at a population level could improve not only stroke and cardiovascular disease rates, but also cognition,” de Havenon said.