High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, can have genetic factors that contribute to its development. Individuals with a family history of hypertension are generally at a higher risk of developing the condition themselves.
New research led by University of New South Wales Sydney’s Center for Healthy Brain Aging (CHeBA) finds that genetic risk for higher blood pressure even in those in their 40s and 50s may contribute to poorer cognitive function.
“This research is groundbreaking. Previously, the literature generally indicated that the cognitive effects of high blood pressure were not seen until late in life. We have found that there are subtle but real changes several decades earlier,” says Dr. Matt Lennon, lead author on the study and a researcher at the Center for Healthy Brain Aging (CHeBA).
“However, the relationship of blood pressure with brain function is complex. Those with a genetic predisposition to higher blood pressure had significantly better reaction time, particularly in males,” says Dr. Lennon.
“We know that high blood pressure is remarkably common in the community, especially among males, and part of this may be explained by the fact that there are some genetic advantages to this in reaction time measuring how quickly an individual responds to a stimulus although ones that come at the long-term costs of poorer cognitive health and greater risks of heart attacks and strokes,” says Dr. Lennon.
Hypertension impacts over 1 billion individuals worldwide and is the single, most prevalent risk factor for cognitive decline.
Professor Perminder Sachdev
Cognitive function is a broad term that encompasses a range of mental abilities, and a decline in any of these areas can impact a person’s overall cognitive functioning. It’s important to note that cognitive function is complex and can vary widely from person to person.
The research, which was written up in the journal Hypertension, employed cutting-edge methods to produce deeper understandings of a previously researched subject. It was different from many prior studies in that it quantified blood pressure risk genetically rather by physically measuring blood pressure, which is sometimes wrong. It employed “big data” from the UK Biobank, which included 448,575 participants.
Based on an individual’s genetic risk for high or low blood pressure, age, and sex, the study shows that future prevention interventions for cognitive decline may be more focused and customized.
Intriguingly, the study also discovered that, compared to people in their 40s and 50s, people in their 60s may benefit from slightly higher blood pressure levels for sustaining cognitive function.
Co-Director of CHeBA and co-author Professor Perminder Sachdev, said, “Hypertension impacts over 1 billion individuals worldwide and is the single, most prevalent risk factor for cognitive decline.”
“It is critical we understand the complexities of this modifiable risk factor for dementia, particularly in people in their 40s and 50s, to develop strategies of earlier intervention and prevention of cognitive decline and dementia,” says Professor Perminder Sachdev.
