Hypertension: Cognitive and behavioral considerations

This article reviews literature concerning functional changes resulting from elevated blood pressure, from reduction of blood pressure, and as a result of the medications used to treat high blood pressure. The research reviewed includes the areas of psychomotor speed, intelligence and cognitive processing, sensory and perceptual processes, and emotional and interpersonal behaviors. The conclusions reached are that the deficits noted to date in hypertensive individuals are not extreme nor are they specific. The greatest disadvantage, however, appears in the area of response speed.