The Relation of Hypertension to Performance in Immediate and Delayed Cued Recall and Working Memory in Old Age: The Role of Cognitive Reserve

OBJECTIVE

We investigated the relation of hypertension to cognitive performance and its interplay with key markers of cognitive reserve in a large sample of older adults.

METHOD

We assessed tests of immediate and delayed cued recall and working memory in 701 older adults. We measured systolic blood pressure and interviewed individuals on their education, past occupation, and cognitive leisure activity.

RESULTS

Hypertension (≥140 mmHg) was related to lower performance in all three cognitive measures. Moderation analyses suggested that these relations were reduced in individuals with greater engaging in cognitive leisure activity. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that hypertension was not related to any of the three investigated cognitive performance measures when education, cognitive level of job, and cognitive leisure activity were simultaneously taken into account.

DISCUSSION

The detrimental influences of hypertension on cognitive functioning in old age may be reduced in individuals with greater cognitive reserve accumulated during the life course.

Determinants of cognitive performance among community dwelling older adults in an impoverished sub-district of São Paulo in Brazil

Determinants of cognitive performance in old age have received limited attention in Latin America. We investigated the association of socio-demographic and health-related variables with cognitive performance in a sample of older adults with limited educational experience living in a poor sub-district of the city of São Paulo. This was a cross-sectional population-based study which included a sample of 384 seniors 65 years and older. Cognition was assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Brief Cognitive Screening Battery (BCSB) (episodic memory test with 10 pictures, verbal fluency (VF), Clock Drawing Test (CDT)). Results indicated that age, sex, schooling, depressive symptoms, and systolic blood pressure (SBP) level had a significant impact on the cognitive performance of the sample. Therefore, pharmacological and psychosocial interventions with a focus on improving mood and controlling hypertension may have beneficial effects on cognition among seniors with similar socio-demographic characteristics.

Análise da função cognitiva e capacidade funcional em idosos hipertensos

A alteração da pressão arterial no idoso vem sendo estudada como sendo um fator de risco para o déficit na cognição e na capacidade funcional. OBJETIVOS: investigar a função cognitiva e a capacidade funcional e sua correlação em idosos hipertensos (GH) e normotensos (GN). MÉTODOS: estudo observacional, analítico e transversal, com 56 idosos divididos em dois grupos GH (n=42) e GN (n=14) avaliados através do Mini-Exame do Estado Mental (MEEM), Questionário Internacional de Atividade Física (IPAQ) e bateria de testes de aptidão física (Functional Fittness Test). ANÁLISE ESTATÍSTICA: os dados foram avaliados utilizando o teste t de Student, o teste do Qui-quadrado e o teste de correlação de Pearson através do SPSS 17.0, sendo atribuído o nível de significância de 5% para todos os testes. RESULTADOS: houve correlação negativa, porém fraca entre os grupos GH e GN quanto ao déficit cognitivo (r=-0,23; p=0,08), força de MMII (r=-0,24; p=0,08) e a endurance aeróbica - TME2' (r=-0,31 e p =0,02). Em relação aos testes de flexibilidade de MMSS e MMII, houve correlação negativa moderada entre o grupo GH e GN (r=-0,62; p<0,001 e r=-0,39; p=0,003) e correlação positiva moderada para agilidade e equilíbrio - TUG (r=0,38 e p=0,004). Foi encontrada diferença significativa para o nível de atividade física entre GH e GN com p<0,001. CONCLUSÕES: esses achados sugerem que a hipertensão arterial afeta diretamente o idoso na medida em que predispõe o declínio cognitivo e limita a capacidade do indivíduo de realizar suas atividades básicas de forma independente, diminuindo a mobilidade funcional principalmente se associada a outras comorbidades e a hábitos de vida não saudáveis.