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Updated: May 9, 2026
Evaluation of the Cognitive Performance of Hypertensive Patients with Silent Cerebrovascular Lesions
Published on: April 23, 2021
Can Chronoscopic Reading in Whole Body Reaction Time be a Tool in Detecting Cognitive Dysfunction in Hypertensives?
1Department of Physiology, SDM College of Medical Sciences, Sattur, Dharwad, Karnataka, India.
Insights
Hypertension is linked to cognitive decline. Whole body choice reaction time (WBCRT C1) can quantify this cognitive dysfunction in hypertensive patients, serving as a screening tool.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Long-term hypertension can lead to target organ damage, particularly affecting the central nervous system and cognitive functions.
- Reaction time (RT) differences, specifically between simple and choice RT, are indicative of cognitive processing time.
- While delayed RTs suggest cognitive involvement, they do not precisely quantify the time required for cognition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the time required for cognition in hypertensive individuals using chronoscopic RT measurements.
- To compare cognitive processing time in hypertensive patients with age- and sex-matched controls.
Main Methods:
- A hospital-based case-control study involving 118 hypertensive patients and 118 controls, matched for age and sex.
- Utilized visual and whole body reaction timers to record whole body choice reaction time (WBCRT C1).
- Employed Independent t-tests for comparisons, Pearson's correlation to assess the relationship between hypertension duration and WBCRT C1, and ROC curves for predictive value analysis.
Main Results:
- Hypertensive patients exhibited a significantly delayed WBCRT C1 (562.6 ± 108 ms) compared to controls (523.5 ± 98.8 ms).
- No significant correlation was found between the duration of hypertension and WBCRT C1 (r = -0.064).
- A WBCRT C1 cutoff of 538.5 ms demonstrated 76.2% sensitivity and 50% specificity for predicting cognitive dysfunction in hypertensives.
Conclusions:
- Whole body choice reaction time (WBCRT C1) serves as a reliable quantitative measure of cognitive function.
- WBCRT C1 can be effectively utilized as a screening tool for identifying cognitive dysfunction in hypertensive individuals.
Background:
Hypertension on a long-term basis can cause target organ damage, especially the central nervous system, which can affect cognition. It is known that difference between simple and choice reaction time (RT) implies time required for cognition. Although delayed RTs indicate involvement of cognition, they cannot quantify how much time is required for cognition.
Aim:
Recording chronoscpic RT to quantify time required for cognition in hypertensives and compare them with controls.
Subjects And Methods:
This is a hospital-based case-control study conducted (August 2010 to January 2011) on 118 subjects attending an outpatient department using visual and whole body reaction timers having criteria of age and hypertensive condition, compared with an equal number of age- and sex-matched controls. Statistical analysis was carried out by Independent t test and duration of hypertension was correlated with whole body choice reaction time (WBCRT) C1 using Pearson's correlation. Predictive value of WBCRT C1 was calculated by using the receiver operating characteristic curve.
Results:
The WBCRT C1 562.6 (108) ms was more delayed among hypertensives compared with controls 523.5(98.8) ms. There was no significant correlation between duration of hypertension and WBCRT C1 (r = -0.064). The best cut-off value for WBCRT C1when predicting cognitive dysfunction in hypertensive patients was 538.5 ms (sensitivity 76.2%, specificity 50%).
Conclusions:
WBCRT C1 can be a quantitative measurement of cognition. It can be used as a screening tool to detect cognitive dysfunction.
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