Blood Pressure Variation Linked to Cognitive Decline

Regular blood pressure monitoring may be an emerging approach to counter declining cognitive skills.   Simon P Mooijaart, from Leiden University Medical Center (The Netherlands), and colleagues assessed  cognitive function at the beginning of the study with the mini-mental state exam (MMSE) and at the end with standard tests looking at selective attention, processing speed, and immediate and delayed memory.  The team also analyzed MRI images from a subset of participants, 553 Dutch s for whom both MRI and blood pressure variability data were available. Higher systolic and diastolic pressure variability were significantly associated with worse performance on the Stroop test of selective attention, as well as tests measuring processing speed, immediate memory, and delayed memory.  As well, blood pressure variability also was associated with structural change in the brain and cerebral microbleeds.  The study authors conclude that: “Higher visit-to-visit variability in blood pressure independent of average blood pressure was associated with impaired cognitive function in old age.”