High blood pressure and mild cognitive impairment

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) - an age-related condition that involves difficulties with thinking and learning - has attracted increasing interest during the last few years as people with MCI have a five-to-six times greater than average risk of going on to develop Alzheimer's disease. There is also a link between high blood pressure and Alzheimer's disease. A study of 918 people over 65 in the U.S. checked their health and cognitive functioning over an average of 4.7 years. Over this period 334 of the participants developed MCI, 160 of them with memory problems and 174 without. High blood pressure was associated with MCI but not with memory problems or a decline in language abilities.

You can find out more about this research at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2007/12/12/hypertension-may-impair-cognition/1649.html