yes it can, though it s rare but as age advances people tend to loose neurons, and often we notice our special senses have declined in their functioning. All of this is due to vascular changes due to predisposed conditions like atherosclerosis, hypertension diabetes and so on. If you had stroke, you got to have something, that stroke happened for no reason. People need to stick to a healthy and active life style as possible in dvanced age because it has very positive effects on neurons other than any medicines available in market. Anti platelets, metformin, vitamin B12, thiamin, vitamin D3 will be suffice.