Relationship between systolic and diastolic blood pressure and cognitive functioning in hypertensive subjects: an extension of previous findings

The relationship between blood pressure and neuropsychological functioning in a group of 15 male hypertensives (mean age = 51.2 years) was studied. Thirteen of the 15 subjects showed cognitive deficits on a battery of neuropsychological tests. More significant negative correlations were found among test scores and systolic pressure than diastolic pressure. Stepwise multiple regression analyses confirmed significant relationships between both systolic and diastolic blood pressure and neuropsychological status. Following biofeedback training, subjects in whom blood pressure decreased the most showed the greatest improvement in Category Test performance. Findings suggest that level of systolic pressure is a sensitive predictor of hypertensives' intellectual and cognitive status, that it may be better than diastolic level, and that decreasing blood pressure is predictive of reversal of at least some of the cognitive impairments associated with hypertension.