Association between blood pressure and cognitive function in older adults

Abstract

Background: Hypertension has been associated with cognitive decline, but the longitudinal relationship between different blood pressure measures and specific cognitive domains remains incompletely understood. The aim of this study is to examine changes in cognitive function over a 10-year follow-up period and to assess whether office blood pressure (BP), ambulatory blood pressure (ABP), and nocturnal dipping are associated with cognitive function and its changes over time. Methods: Participants from the FIREA study underwent cognitive testing at baseline and follow-up using a computerized standardized cognitive test battery. Cognitive domains included memory and learning, reaction time, sustained attention and working memory. Hypertension status was determined using office BP, ABP and nocturnal dipping measures, and changes in cognitive function were compared between BP groups. Results: During the 10-year follow-up period memory and learning improved while reaction time and sustained attention declined. There was also some indication of improvement in working memory. At baseline, dippers had better sustained attention than non-dippers. No statistically significant differences in cognitive function changes were observed between the BP groups, although indicatively non-dippers had a faster decline in sustained attention. Conclusions: Changes in cognitive function over the follow-up period were mostly independent of hypertension status. The findings suggest that different cognitive domains change differently over time, with some aspects of cognitive function remaining well preserved until older age.