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Stress might boost cognitive impairment in adults, according to researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System, reports scienceworldreport.

"Our study provides strong evidence that perceived stress increases the likelihood that an older person will develop aMCI [amnestic mild cognitive impairment], said lead author Dr. Richard Lipton, in a news release. "Fortunately, perceived stress is a modifiable risk factor for cognitive impairment, making it a potential target for treatment."

Annually, about 470,000 Americans are diagnosed with Alzheimer's dementia. While a number of patients undergo mild impairment, which is a "pre-dementia condition" that gradually enhances the risk of developing Alzheimer's in successive months or years.

Scientists examined 507 adults aged 70 and older, who participated in the Einstein Aging Study in Bronx County, NY.

The Perceived Stress Scale that was used since 2005 was employed to measure the stress levels. Scores that ranged from zero to 56, with higher numbers pointing to more stress, made the researchers arrive at an average of 3.6 years.

While71 participants were seen to exhibit "amnestic mild cognitive impairment", the study also showed that for every 5 points a person scored under the scale, the increase of cognitive impairment was boosted by 30 percent.

 "Perceived stress reflects the daily hassles we all experience, as well as the way we appraise and cope with these events," concluded co-author Mindy Katz in a statement. "Perceived stress can be altered by mindfulness-based stress reduction, cognitive-behavioral therapies and stress-reducing drugs. These interventions may postpone or even prevent an individual's cognitive decline."

The study is published in the journal Alzheimer's Disease and Associated Disorders.