A Longitudinal Study of Neuropsychological Performance by Hypertensives and Normotensives: A Third Measurement Point

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Abstract
The neuropsychological test performance of hypertensive and normotensive subjects was compared at three times of measurement over a 10-year period. The tests used were among those that are most sensitive to brain impairment in the halstead-reitan battery. In addition to individual test measures, a widely used clinical index of battery-wide performance — the average impairment rating (AIR) — was used. Hypertensives exhibited lower mean levels of performance on the AIR at all times of measurement. However, the blood pressure group × time of measurement interactions were not statistically significant, indicating that hypertensives and normotensives did not exhibit a differential rate of change (decline or improvement) over time. Hypertensives also performed more poorly for a measure of learning set formation (categories test) and two tests of memory for forms experienced by touch only (tactile perception memory and localization tests). However, blood pressure × time of measurement interactions were not observed for these measures.