title: Cognitive and functional impairment in hypertensive brain microangiopathy.
abstract: Brain microangiopathy, whose neuroimaging expression is represented by age-related white matter changes (ARWMC), is largely due to hypertension and it is, in turn, responsible for geriatric syndromes, including decline in cognitive, functional and motor/gait abilities. This review analyzes the link between hypertension and ARWMC, as well as the complex relationships between ARWMC and cognitive impairment, executive dysfunction, and movement/gait abnormalities. The available evidence supports the hypothesis that these functional consequences of ARWMC are responsible for substantial disability in the elderly. Thus, adequate treatment of hypertension may represent a feasible way to reduce the burden of disability in late life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Critical Care Medicine and Surgery, Unit of Gerontology and Geriatrics, University of Florence and Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Inzitari
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pozzi
authors.forename: Lucio A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Rinaldi
authors.forename: Giulio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Masotti
authors.forename: Niccolò
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Marchionni
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Bari
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D020233:Gait Disorders, Neurologic / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D002537:Intracranial Arteriosclerosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D019586:Intracranial Hypertension / Q000150:complications*; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000473:pathology