Study Reveals Intensive Blood Pressure Control Reduces Risk of Cognitive Impairment - Video

A new study shows that only 3½ years of intensive blood pressure control continues to significantly reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment or dementia long after stopping this treatment in adults with hypertension and high cardiovascular risk.

The findings are published online in Neurology, highlights the sustained benefits of aggressive blood pressure management in preventing cognitive decline.

The National Institutes of Health-supported Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) Memory and Cognition in Decreased Hypertension (SPRINT MIND) study involved 9,361 participants aged 50 years and older at more than 100 clinic sites in the United States and Puerto Rico. Participants were randomly assigned to a systolic blood pressure goal of either less than 120 mm Hg (intensive treatment) or less than 140 mm Hg (standard treatment).

Participants were followed for a median of seven years, with cognitive assessments conducted both in-person and via telephone. Participants were then classified as having no cognitive impairment, mild cognitive impairment or probable dementia. Researchers specifically found that participants in the intensive treatment group had a lower rate of mild cognitive impairment and a lower combined rate of mild cognitive impairment or probable dementia.

“Our study shows that intensive blood pressure control is an important strategy in the prevention of cognitive impairment, a major cause of loss of independence in older adults,” said Jeff Williamson, M.D., M.H.S, professor of gerontology and geriatric medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. “Lowering your blood pressure to more aggressive targets can improve the quality of life and extend active life for individuals with hypertension.”

Reference: Reboussin, D. M., Gaussoin, S. A., Pajewski, N. M., Jaeger, B. C., Sachs, B., Rapp, S. R., ... & Williamson, J. D. (2025). Long-Term Effect of Intensive vs Standard Blood Pressure Control on Mild Cognitive Impairment and Probable Dementia in SPRINT. Neurology, 104(3), e213334.