A neurologist has revealed that a simple hand test could show how your brain is ageing. This could also indicate your risk of developing dementia later in life.

A neurologist has shared an intriguing method to gauge brain health through a straightforward hand test, which may also assess the likelihood of developing dementia in the future.

Dementia encompasses a collection of symptoms that signify the progressive deterioration of brain function. It often manifests in memory lapses, shifts in behavior, and sometimes difficulties with movement.

Generally, a dementia diagnosis comes after symptoms have been present for some time.

However, one specialist has pointed out that there are proactive ways to foresee cognitive challenges before they fully develop.

One such method involves evaluating grip strength. On the social media platform TikTok, Dr. Baibing Chen shared insights about the link between hand strength and brain health.

Dr. Chen, who is also known as Dr. Bing, remarked, “Grip strength is one of the simplest and strongest indicators of brain aging and your future risk of dementia.”

“Your brain has to coordinate nerves, muscles, sensation, timing, and blood flow just to squeeze your hand,  and when that system isn’t as strong often reflects a lower overall brain resilience. What’s interesting is that changes in strength can show up quietly over time.

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“In some types of dementia, especially vascular dementia or Lewy body disease, motor changes like strength or slowing can appear early, but in Alzheimer’s, memory [loss] usually shows up first.

“Different diseases, different patterns,  but grip strength still tracks overall brain health across populations.” This issue may not present itself as a weak grip though.

Patients are more likely to notice other problems first. Dr Bing continued: “In my clinic, patients don’t come in saying my grip is weak.

“They say things like, ‘I drop things more’ or ‘my hands get tired faster’ or ‘I feel slower doing everyday stuff’.” If this is something that affects you, however, it’s not a reason to “panic”.

“The takeaway is not to panic or obsess over hand grippers,” Dr Bing said. “Grip strength is a marker and not a diagnosis, and many people with weak grip never develop dementia.

“But it does tell us something, and that strength training isn’t about just muscles or looks.

And resistance exercise can support your blood flow, metabolism and brain signalling, and studies show it can have benefits for brain health when done consistently.”

What does research say?

His advice is backed by one scientific review, published in Frontiers in Ageing Neuroscience in 2021. As part of this research, the team analysed 15 existing studies on grip strength and the onset of cognitive impairment.

Researchers noted that “poorer grip strength” was associated with “more risk” of cognitive decline and dementia. They said: “Furthermore, subgroup analysis indicated that people with poorer strength had more risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and non-AD dementia.”

They concluded: “Lower grip strength is associated with more risk of onset of cognitive decline and dementia despite of subtype of dementia. We should be alert for the individuals with poor grip strength and identify cognitive dysfunction early.”

Symptoms of dementia

According to the NHS, common early symptoms of dementia include:

• Memory loss
• Difficulty concentrating
• Finding it hard to carry out familiar daily tasks, such as getting confused over the correct change when shopping
• Struggling to follow a conversation or find the right word
• Being confused about time and place
• Mood changes

If you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms of dementia, you should speak to a GP.