Exploring the within-person coupling of blood pressure and cognition in elders

Alyssa A. Gamaldo, Sarah R. Weatherbee, Jason C. Allaire

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

20 Scopus citations

Abstract

In this study, we examined the relationship between within-person blood pressure and cognitive functioning. We conducted an analysis on 36 community-dwelling elderly individuals (age range = 60-87 years). Participants measured their blood pressure and completed cognitive tasks (i.e., the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Task, the Letter Series test, and the Number Comparison test) twice a day over 60 consecutive days. We observed a significant interaction between within-person change in blood pressure and average blood pressure for the Letter Series test. Individuals with high blood pressure tended to perform poorly, particularly on occasions when their blood pressure level was above their personal average. These results demonstrate that the relationship between blood pressure and cognition at the between-person level and the relationship within each individual should be further explored simultaneously.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)P386-P389
JournalJournals of Gerontology - Series B Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
Volume63
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2008

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Health(social science)
  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Life-span and Life-course Studies

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