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"This test may provide a new way of identifying people at risk of cognitive decline long before they manifest any apparent symptoms.
"What we need now is more research, for example to understand if lifestyle changes and medications that reduce the intensity of the impulse delay also cognitive decline. "
TThe study involved nearly 3,200 middle-aged volunteers who were followed over a 15-year period.
The participants had an ultrasound in 2002, which measured the intensity of the pulse going to the brain.
Their memory and problem-solving skills were then regularly monitored.
People with the highest pulse intensity at the start of the study were about 50% more likely to experience accelerated cognitive decline in the next decade compared to others.
This difference was present even after adjusting for possible confounding factors, such as age, body mass index, blood pressure, diabetes, and any other heart condition.
The researchers stated that cognitive decline was a significant and measurable reduction in cognitive abilities, including memory, language, thinking and judgment.
They plan to test whether the analysis improves predictive "risk scores" for existing dementia.
Scott Chiesa, a postdoctoral researcher at UCL, said, "These results demonstrate the first direct link between the intensity of the pulse transmitted to the brain at each heartbeat and the future impairments of cognitive function.
"It is therefore a cause of easily measurable and potentially treatable cognitive decline in middle-aged adults, which one can detect long in advance."
Dementia affects about 850,000 people in the UK. Vascular dementia is one of the most common types, caused by a problem of blood supply to the brain that damages or kills brain cells.
Research suggests that controlling blood pressure and cholesterol, a healthy diet, regular exercise and not smoking can all help fight dementia.
The research is presented at the Scientific Sessions Conference of the American Heart Association in Chicago.
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