Hypertension and age-related cognitive decline

Abstract

As the population is aging rapidly worldwide, there is an increasing need to better understand chronic conditions associated with aging such as vascular and metabolic diseases, and cognitive decline. Hypertension is one of the most prevalent chronic conditions associated with age and its impact on cognitive decline has often been put forth. Overall, both longitudinal and cross-sectional investigations suggest that hypertension can increase the risk of cognitive decline, and that the negative impact is more salient in processing speed and executive control tests. However, memory deficits associated with hypertension can also be observed. While hypertension has consistently been shown to increase the risk of dementia in middle-aged or young-old adults, some studies suggest that it could have a protective effect on cognition in very old populations. Studies looking at the effect of antihypertensive drug treatments report diverging results, but tend to suggest that treatment might be effective in preventing cognitive decline associated with age. Together, findings summarized here suggest that hypertension is an important factor that has a worsening effect on cognition as people age, and that antihypertensive approaches could help control or alleviate the impact of elevated blood pressure on cognition. Future studies will help identify effective ways to control hypertension and potentially emphasize preventive approaches as complementary avenues to the more traditional pharmacological approach.