Hypertension, white matter hyperintensities, and cognitive deficits

  • Analysis of 560 participants of the 1000BRAINS study found that white matter hyperintensities (WMH) was most common in the frontal lobe, followed by parietal, temporal, then occipital lobe.
  • Higher Fazekas scores, a measure of WMH, were associated with higher blood pressure and antihypertensive treatment. Higher scores correlated to lower executive function and verbal- and non-verbal memory.
  • The authors concluded that WMH are promoted by vascular risk factors such as hypertension and are associated with cognitive deficits