A study at North Carolina State University examined the relationship between blood pressure and cognitive functioning (perception, recognition, reasoning, judgment and imagination). Community-dwelling individuals, ranging in age from 60 to 87 years, measured their blood pressure and completed cognitive tasks twice a day over 60 consecutive days. Individuals with high blood pressure, whose systolic blood pressure (top number) was 130 or higher, tended to perform poorly, particularly on occasions when their blood pressure level was above their personal average. This may explain why stressful situations may make it more difficult for some seniors to think clearly. Participants whose average blood pressure was low or normal saw no change, even when their blood pressure temporarily increased.         Duke Medicine, March 2009

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