High blood pressure and type 2 diabetes are dangerous to the brain and negatively affect cognitive abilities such as thinking and memory. This conclusion was reached by scientists at Oxford University, who revealed the results of scientific work in the journal Nature Communications.
Experts analyzed the data obtained from MRI scans of 22 thousand participants in a long-term study by UK Biobank. This allowed them to track changes in the gray and white matter of the brain, taking into account clinical, demographic and cognitive factors. It turned out that risk factors associated with blood supply affect the volume of the medulla in the fronto-parietal region, as well as the integrity of the white matter (axon bundles) between regions.
It turned out that in participants between the ages of 44 and 70, higher blood pressure was associated with impaired cognitive function. However, this correlation was not found in people over 70 years old. Five percent of the volunteers had type 2 diabetes, and the presence of this disease was also a factor in memory and thinking decline.
At the same time, scientists emphasize that memory loss is very small and not comparable to that observed in dementia. However, the very fact of such an effect is indicative of minor brain damage that occurs in middle age. It is important to prevent this deterioration in order to prevent further progression.
