Skip to main content
eScholarship
Open Access Publications from the University of California

UCSF

UC San Francisco Previously Published Works bannerUCSF

Association of blood pressure with cognitive function at midlife: a Mendelian randomization study

Abstract

Background

Whether high blood pressure has a causal effect on cognitive function as early as middle age is unclear. We investigated whether high blood pressure (BP) causally impairs cognitive function at midlife using Mendelian Randomization (MR).

Methods

We applied a two-sample MR approach to investigate the causal relationship between BP and midlife cognitive performance measured by the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), and Stroop Interference test. We used a total of 109 genetic polymorphisms with established associations with BP as instrumental variables and estimated gene-cognitive function association in 1369 middle-aged adults (Mean age (SD): 50.8 (3.3), 54.0% women) from the CARDIA study.

Results

A 10 mmHg increment in genetically-predicted systolic, diastolic, or pulse pressure was associated with a 4.9 to 7.7-point lower DSST score (P = 0.002, SBP; P = 0.005, DBP and P = 0.008, PP), while a 10 mmHg increment in genetically-predicted SBP was associated with a 0.7 point lower RAVLT and a 2.3 point higher Stroop (P = 0.046 and 0.011, respectively).

Conclusions

This MR analysis shows that high BP, especially SBP, is causally associated with poorer processing speed, verbal memory, and executive function during midlife. These findings emphasize the need for further investigation of the role and mechanisms of BP dysregulation on cognitive health in middle age and perhaps, more broadly, across the lifespan.

Many UC-authored scholarly publications are freely available on this site because of the UC's open access policies. Let us know how this access is important for you.

Main Content
For improved accessibility of PDF content, download the file to your device.
Current View