Blood pressure treatment and cognition in the elderly.

While the health and longevity benefits of antihypertensive treatment have been established in past research, the cognitive consequences of blood pressure control in the elderly are still under debate. In this paper, the authors review the current evidence and the different ways in which cognition is measured. Since research on the cognitive consequences of blood pressure control in the elderly population is characterized by a variety of research questions, designs, and cognitive measurements, the authors conclude that a large-scale study that compares the cognitive benefits of different methods of blood pressure reduction is urgently needed.