Pulse pressure and pulse wave velocity are related to cognitive decline in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.

Pulse pressure and pulse wave velocity, markers of arterial stiffness, have been associated with stroke, dementia, and lowered levels of cognitive function. Here we examine longitudinal relations of pulse pressure and pulse wave velocity to multiple domains of cognitive function among nondemented, stroke-free persons. Up to 1749 participants from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging completed tests of verbal and nonverbal memory, attention, perceptuo-motor speed, confrontation naming, executive functions, and cognitive screening measures, as well as concurrent sphygmomanometric assessment of blood pressure (for derivation of pulse pressure) on 1 to 8 occasions over 14 years. A subset of