Memory and blood pressure in the aged

Memory loss, as measured by the Wechsler Memory scale was examined as a function of diastolic blood pressure during a 6.5-year follow-up period among individuals initially tested in their 60's. On the initial testing, memory was not related to blood pressure. At the end of the follow-up period, the hypertensives showed greater impairment in memory for nonverbal material involving time limits and a psychomotor component than did their age peers with normotensive and borderline elevations of blood pressure. The hypertensives' poor performance, however, was found only on specific sub-task items and appeared not to be influenced by item difficulty alone but rather by other performance factors such as difficulty in deciding what to do, understanding test instructions, or state anxiety associated with the testing situation. Memory for highly meaningful verbal material was not related to blood pressure.