Key result
High cumulative systolic blood pressure is linked to lower total brain volume and worse cognitive scores.
Why the study?
Elevated blood pressure is linked to brain structure changes and cognitive decline, but few studies have accounted for long-term cumulative blood pressure exposure.
Does higher cumulative blood pressure exposure reduce brain volume, cerebral blood flow, and cognitive function in adults?
Cross-Sectional (n=1,012)
No
Does higher cumulative blood pressure exposure reduce brain volume, cerebral blood flow, and cognitive function in adults?
Higher long-term cumulative blood pressure exposure is associated with reduced brain volume, lower cerebral blood flow, and cognitive decline, suggesting early BP intervention may preserve brain health.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Associated with lower brain volume; hypothesis-generating, leaves open causal effects and practice implications.
Elevated blood pressure (BP) has been linked to brain structure changes and cognitive decline. However, few studies have accounted for long-term cumulative BP exposure. We investigated the association between cumulative BP exposure, brain volume, cerebral blood flow (CBF), and cognitive decline. Furthermore, we explored whether alterations in brain volume and CBF mediated the association between cumulative BP and cognitive decline. We included 1012 adult participants from the Kailuan study. Cumulative BP exposure was calculated from 2006 to 2020. Brain MRI scans and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) were performed in 2020. Generalized linear regression models were used to investigate the associations between cumulative BP, brain volume, CBF, and cognitive function. Mediation analysis was performed to examine whether alterations in brain volume and CBF mediated the association between cumulative BP and cognitive decline. Compared with the lowest tertiles, the highest tertiles of cumulative SBP were associated with lower volumes in total brain (-9.11 [-16.25, -1.97]), total GM (-5.53 [-10.02, -1.04]), frontal lobe (-2.46 [-4.15, -0.78]), temporal lobe (-1.37 [-2.51, -0.23]) and hippocampus (-0.15 [-0.26, -0.03]), and the highest tertiles of cumulative DBP were associated with lower volume in frontal lobe (-2.33 [-3.98, -0.68]) and temporal lobe (-1.15 [-2.27, -0.04]). Higher cumulative SBP and DBP were associated with lower total and regional CBF and MoCA scores (all P < 0.05). The associations between cumulative DBP and cognitive decline were mediated by the volumes in total GM, frontal lobe and temporal lobe. Early intervention in cumulative BP may help preserve brain structure and function.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Li et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Cognitive decline and brain structure changes (n=1,012). Highest tertile of cumulative systolic blood pressure vs. Lowest tertile of cumulative systolic blood pressure was evaluated on Total brain volume (β -9.11, 95% CI -16.25, -1.97, p=<0.05). The highest tertile of cumulative systolic blood pressure exposure was associated with significantly lower total brain volume (β -9.11) and lower cognitive function scores compared to the lowest tertile.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: