title: Stress-induced blood pressure reactivity and cognitive function.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the relation of stress-induced blood pressure (BP) reactivity to cognitive function.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-four healthy stroke- and dementia-free middle-aged and older adults (ages 54 to 79; 62% male; 90% white) completed biomedical, psychophysiological, and neuropsychological assessment procedures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After statistical adjustment for age, education, state anxiety, fasting glucose levels, and resting systolic or diastolic BP (depending on the model), greater systolic BP reactivity was associated with decreased performance on Logical Memory-Immediate Recall (r2 = 0.08; p < 0.007), Logical Memory-Delayed Recall (r2 = 0.06; p < 0.02), and Stroop interference scores (r2 = 0.04; p < 0.05). Enhanced diastolic BP reactivity was similarly associated with decreased performance on Logical Memory-Immediate Recall (r2 = 0.06; p < 0.02) and Stroop interference scores (r2 = 0.06; p < 0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Independent of resting clinic blood pressure (BP), systolic and diastolic BP reactivity was associated with diminished performance on tests of immediate and delayed verbal memory and executive function (i.e., response inhibition), accounting for 3 to 8% of the variance in these measures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA. waldstei@umbc.edu
authors.forename: Shari R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Waldstein
authors.forename: Leslie I
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Katzel
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000502:physiology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D015897:Comorbidity; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010808:Physical Examination; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose