For adults with high blood pressure, greater blood pressure control than what’s currently considered standard is associated with fewer adverse changes of the brain, which could mean lower risks of dementia and cognitive impairment, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Specifically, the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study of 449 adults showed that those with high blood pressure who achieved systolic blood pressure of less than 120 mm Hg – known as “intensive” blood pressure control – had a small but significantly lower amount of white matter lesions on their brain but a slightly greater decrease in brain volume than similar patients who achieved the current standard for healthy blood pressure of 140 mm Hg.
“The great news from this research is that high blood pressure is a treatable condition, and if you treat high blood pressure aggressively, you could have a positive benefit on cognition and brain structure,” said R. Nick Bryan, M.D., Ph.D.,chair and professor of the Department of Diagnostic Medicine at Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin. “Though the benefit may be small, it’s one of the few impactful cognition-related interventions we have.”
Read more at University of Texas at Austin
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