Enhancement of cerebral blood flow and cognitive performance following pharmacological blood pressure elevation in chronic hypotension

1. Cardiac output at rest, intra-arterial blood pressure and hand blood flow at maximal vasodilatation were studied in two groups of 18–25-year-old men: forty-four with mild blood pressure elevation were referred from a military enlistment centre, and twenty-nine normotensive volunteers were mainly recruited from the same enlistment centre. 2. The study group was characterized by a significantly higher cardiac index at rest, and a significantly higher blood flow resistance in the hand at maximal vasodilatation than the control group, indicating the presence of structural modifications in the resistance vessels of patients with mild blood pressure elevation. 3. The tendency to increased vascular resistance in the blood vessels of the hand at maximal vasodilatation was more pronounced in patients with a normal cardiac index than in those with a high index. This suggests inclusion in the study group of tense, anxious individuals with an elevated cardiac index but otherwise normal circulation, but does not exclude the possibility that these patients may develop structural changes later on.

Download Full-text

Associations Between Relative Morning Blood Pressure, Cerebral Blood Flow, and Memory in Older Adults Treated and Controlled for Hypertension

Hypertension ◽

10.1161/hypertensionaha.120.16124 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 77 (5) ◽

pp. 1703-1713

Author(s):

Adrián Noriega de la Colina ◽

Atef Badji ◽

Marie-Christine Robitaille-Grou ◽

Christine Gagnon ◽

Tommy Boshkovski ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Older Adults ◽

Blood Flow ◽

Cerebral Blood Flow ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Memory Processing ◽

Negatively Associated ◽

Cerebrovascular Events ◽

Morning Blood Pressure

Hypertension, elevated morning blood pressure (BP) surges, and circadian BP variability constitute risk factors for cerebrovascular events. Nevertheless, while evidence indicates that hypertension is associated with cognitive dysfunctions, the link between BP variability and cognitive performance during aging is not clear. The purpose of this study is to determine the interaction between relative morning BP, cerebral blood flow (CBF) levels, and cognitive performance in hypertensive older adults with controlled BP under antihypertensive treatment. Eighty-four participants aged between 60 and 75 years old were separated into normotensive (n=51) and hypertensive (n=33) groups and underwent 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring. They were also examined for CBF in the gray matter (CBF-GM) by magnetic resonance imaging and 5 cognitive domains: global cognition, working memory, episodic memory, processing speed, and executive functions. There was no difference in cognitive performance and CBF between normotensive and controlled hypertensive participants. Through a sensitivity analysis, we identified that, among relative morning BP variables, the best fit for CBF values in this cohort was the morning-evening difference in BP. The relative morning BP was negatively associated with CBF-GM in these hypertensive older adults only. In turn, CBF-GM levels were negatively associated with working and episodic memory scores in hypertensive older adults. This is the first extended study demonstrating an association between high relative morning BP and lower levels of CBF-GM, including the further impact of CBF-GM levels on the cognitive performance of specific domains in a community-based cohort of older adults with hypertension.

Download Full-text

Dissociation between cortical activation and cognitive performance under pharmacological blood pressure elevation in chronic hypotension

Biological Psychology ◽

10.1016/j.biopsycho.2007.03.007 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 75 (3) ◽

pp. 277-285 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Stefan Duschek ◽

Miriam Hadjamu ◽

Rainer Schandry

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Cortical Activation ◽

Blood Pressure Elevation ◽

Pressure Elevation

Download Full-text

Patterns of Cerebral Blood Flow and Systemic Hemodynamics During Arithmetic Processing

Journal of Psychophysiology ◽

10.1027/0269-8803.22.2.81 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

pp. 81-90 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Natalie Werner ◽

Neval Kapan ◽

Gustavo A. Reyes del Paso

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Blood Flow ◽

Cerebral Blood Flow ◽

Time Course ◽

Doppler Sonography ◽

Transcranial Doppler Sonography ◽

Systemic Hemodynamics ◽

Heart Period ◽

Blood Flow Velocities ◽

Flow Velocities

The present study explored modulations in cerebral blood flow and systemic hemodynamics during the execution of a mental calculation task in 41 healthy subjects. Time course and lateralization of blood flow velocities in the medial cerebral arteries of both hemispheres were assessed using functional transcranial Doppler sonography. Indices of systemic hemodynamics were obtained using continuous blood pressure recordings. Doppler sonography revealed a biphasic left dominant rise in cerebral blood flow velocities during task execution. Systemic blood pressure increased, whereas heart period, heart period variability, and baroreflex sensitivity declined. Blood pressure and heart period proved predictive of the magnitude of the cerebral blood flow response, particularly of its initial component. Various physiological mechanisms may be assumed to be involved in cardiovascular adjustment to cognitive demands. While specific contributions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems may account for the observed pattern of systemic hemodynamics, flow metabolism coupling, fast neurogenic vasodilation, and cerebral autoregulation may be involved in mediating cerebral blood flow modulations. Furthermore, during conditions of high cardiovascular reactivity, systemic hemodynamic changes exert a marked influence on cerebral blood perfusion.

Download Full-text