SEX AND HYPERTENSION: INFLUENTIAL FACTORS IN COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE AFTER PHYSICAL AND COGNITIVE INTERVENTIONS

摘要

The risk of developing hypertension increases with aging. Once present, cognitive decline is more likely. Importantly, the impact on cognition can be minimized with cognitive or physical training. However, at present it is unknown if hypertension modulates the gains that interventions have on cognition in healthy older adults. Here, we aimed to identify if participants with hypertension improve cognition similarly to those without. Moreover, given the differences in cardiovascular outcomes between men and women, it was of interest to investigate the influence of sex on this relationship between cognitive improvement and hypertension. Sixty-eight healthy older adults (70.6 years, 22 males) were randomized to one of the following: cognitive, aerobic, or gross motor skills training. All interventions were three one hour sessions per week for 12-weeks. Hypertension was identified by a geriatrician through resting blood pressure or use of antihypertensive medication. All participants completed a Stroop task (inhibition) on a tablet before and after the intervention. Forty-eight participants were categorized as hypertensive (15 males). There were no baseline differences for age, sex, fitness level, or inhibition response time (p >0.05). A repeated measures ANOVA revealed a time*sex*presence of hypertension interaction. Women with hypertension, compared to those without, improved cognitive performance significantly more, whereas men showed the opposite effect, regardless of training group. These results suggest that sex and presence of hypertension can modulate exercise and cognitive training effects on cognition in older adults. However, these preliminary, but noteworthy, results need to be confirmed in larger samples.