Scientists recently discovered that small amounts of bleeding in the brain, which have been previously linked to stroke, are actually associated with aging.

Researchers from the University of California, Irvine examined 33 adults who were between 71 and 105-years-old. None of the participants had any history of stroke.

Overall, the investigators found that cerebral microbleeds were prevalent in 22 of the studied cases. The researchers noted that all of the microbleeds were found in small blood vessels of the brain.

These numbers were much higher than what previous studies have shown, in which magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans identified microbleeds in only 18 percent of those aged 60 to 69 and in 38 percent of individuals who were over 80.

The scientists also noted that their results indicated that although blood-brain barriers exist to prevent leaks, this problem still occurs as a person’s age increases.

Mark Fisher, one of the study’s researchers, said that drugs like aspirin are known to interfere with blood clotting. He added that the current findings “suggest that aspirin and other platelet medications may have a different effect on the aging brain than on younger brains.”

A greater number of people may be at risk to experience brain bleeding as the National Institute on Aging (NIA) reports that the number of individuals who reach 65 years and older will increase by 8 percent over the next two decades.