Circadian blood pressure pattern and cognitive function in newly diagnosed older hypertensives

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 21, 2026

Evaluation of the Cognitive Performance of Hypertensive Patients with Silent Cerebrovascular Lesions
07:30

Evaluation of the Cognitive Performance of Hypertensive Patients with Silent Cerebrovascular Lesions

Published on: April 23, 2021

P Cicconetti1, V Ciotti, G Monteforte

  • 1Department of Geriatrics, 1st Institute of Medicine, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy. paolocicconetti@tin.it

Blood Pressure
|July 24, 2003
PubMed

Insights

In early hypertension, the non-dipping blood pressure pattern is not linked to cognitive decline. This study found no differences in cognitive function between dippers and non-dippers in newly diagnosed hypertensive individuals.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Neurology
  • Gerontology

Background:

  • Hypertension is classified into dippers and non-dippers based on nocturnal blood pressure fall.
  • Previous research on organ damage in these groups yielded inconsistent results.
  • The relationship between circadian blood pressure patterns and cognitive function, especially in early hypertension, remains understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between circadian blood pressure patterns (dipping vs. non-dipping) and cognitive function in older adults with newly diagnosed, untreated hypertension.

Main Methods:

  • 40 older hypertensive patients (23 dippers, 17 non-dippers) with recent diagnoses underwent 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM).
  • Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).
  • Event-related potentials (ERPs), specifically N2 and P300 wave latencies, were recorded.

Main Results:

  • No significant differences were observed in MMSE scores between dippers and non-dippers.
  • P300 latency values did not differ significantly between the two groups.
  • N2 wave latency values also showed no significant differences, indicating no association with the non-dipping pattern.

Conclusions:

  • The non-dipping blood pressure pattern is not associated with impaired cognitive function in the early stages of hypertension.
  • Cognitive assessments, including MMSE and ERPs, did not reveal differences between dippers and non-dippers in this cohort.

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