Journal
JOURNALS OF GERONTOLOGY SERIES A-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND MEDICAL SCIENCES
Volume 59, Issue 11, Pages 1191-1194Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC
DOI: 10.1093/gerona/59.11.1191
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Funding
- NIA NIH HHS [P60 AG008812-120002, R01 AG026091, T32 AG023480, P60 AG008812, P60 AG008812-10, P60 AG008812-11A10002, K12 AG000294, T32 AG000251, P30 AG028718] Funding Source: Medline
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Background. Little is known about what specific cognitive functions are affected by elevated blood pressure (BP) and how orthostatic BP change is related to cognitive impairment. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of BP and its postural change on cognitive functions in otherwise healthy elders. Methods. In 70 healthy persons (mean age, 72 4 years), supine systolic BP (SBP) was assessed 3 times using a sphygmomanometer, and the average values were obtained for the analysis. After 1, 3, and 5 minutes of standing, 3 BP measurements were obtained and the orthostatic SBP changes were determined by subtracting these values from the supine average. Neuropsychological tests were administered to assess short-term and long-term verbal and visual memory, visuospatial skills, and frontal-executive functions. Participants were considered impaired in the specific cognitive performance if their scores fell below the 25th percentile of the study population. Multiple logistic regression models were used to evaluate the relation of SBP and the magnitude of orthostatic SBP decline to risk for impairment in each of the cognitive tests. Results. Controlling for potential confounders, each 10 mmHg increase in supine SBP was associated with a 2.31-fold increase (95% confidence interval, 1.14 to 4.66) in risk for impairment in psychomotor speed and set shifting as measured using the Trailmaking Pan-B test. There was no significant association between cognitive functions and orthostatic SBP decline at 1, 3, and 5 minutes of standing. Conclusion. Elevation of BP is associated with a selective impairment in executive function in otherwise healthy community-dwelling elders.
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