Medicated hypertension and increasing age were associated with significant slowing of reaction time compared to normotensive controls, with an interaction observed with plasma renin activity.
Cross-Sectional (n=203)
Does hypertension and its treatment affect reaction time in young and middle-aged adults?
Medicated hypertension and specific plasma renin activity profiles are associated with slowed reaction times, potentially reflecting altered cerebral blood flow autoregulation due to vascular damage.
Reaction time (RT) was compared in 160 hypertensive and 43 normotensive adults. After being screened for coronary and cerebrovascular disorders, each subject completed 12 variations of a serial RT task. Subjects were blocked into normotensive, nonmedicated hypertensive, and medicated hypertensive groups, and into three age groups: 18-31; 32-45; 46-59. Response slowing was observed with increasing age. Significant slowing was also seen in the medicated but not the nonmedicated hypertensive group. Plasma renin activity (PRA) interacted with the medication factor; longest RTs were obtained for treated subjects with low and normal PRA and untreated subjects with high PRA. These results were interpreted in terms of changes in ability to autoregulate cerebral blood flow as a result of vascular damage.
Kathleen C. Light (Sat,) conducted a cross-sectional in Hypertension (n=203). Hypertension and medication status vs. Normotensive adults was evaluated on Reaction time (RT) in a serial RT task. Medicated hypertension and increasing age were associated with significant slowing of reaction time compared to normotensive controls, with an interaction observed with plasma renin activity.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: