Everyday speech may hold important clues about early changes in brain health. The way people naturally talk could be linked to key cognitive skills, unveiling new possibilities for tools that could help monitor brain health in clinical settings or even at home.  

New research from Baycrest’s Rotman Research Institute, the University of Toronto and York University examined how subtle features of natural speech timing relate to executive function across the adult lifespan. Executive functions support skills such as memory, planning, attention and flexible thinking. 

In the study, participants completed a simple picture description task while researchers analyzed aspects of their speech including pauses, word finding difficulty and filler words such as “uh” and “um.” These speech features were strongly associated with the participants’ performance on cognitive tests that measure executive function. 

“The message is clear: speech timing is more than just a matter of style, it is a sensitive indicator of brain health,” said Dr. Jed Meltzer, Senior Scientist at Baycrest’s Rotman Research Institute and senior author on the study. 

Researchers note that analyzing everyday speech offers a more natural and repeatable way to assess cognitive function than traditional structured testing, which can be time-consuming and influenced by testing conditions. Because speech occurs in daily life, it may be easier to collect repeatedly over time. 

The research team emphasizes the importance of future longitudinal studies to better understand how speech patterns change and how they may help distinguish between normal aging and early cognitive decline. 

Everyday speech and brain health have also been linked in earlier work by Baycrest and the University of Toronto. A 2024 study, also led by Dr. Meltzer, found that how fast a person talks may be a more important indicator of brain health than the need to pause to find a word. In that study, researchers asked 125 healthy adults aged 18 to 90 to complete language tasks, including describing pictures, while their speech was analyzed using artificial intelligence-based tools. The speed at which participants spoke and named pictures was associated with executive function, suggesting that changes in overall speaking speed may reflect changes in the brain. 

The findings from the 2025 study build on the 2024 work by pointing to speaking speed and other natural speech patterns as sensitive indicators of cognitive function and may help inform future approaches to early detection and monitoring of brain health changes. 

Important research such as this study are made possible by a hospital-based research environment that supports long-term, foundational science on brain health and aging. Baycrest brings together a post-acute hospital, long-term care, senior living, memory care, research and education to support older adults, caregivers and others on the journey of aging. This integrated ecosystem allows care, discovery and learning to inform one another, improving lives today while shaping how aging is understood and supported tomorrow.  ​