Several recent studies have shown that there is a correlation between a general stiffening of the walls of arterial blood vessels and so called cognitive impairment-disturbances in thinking, memory, etc. In the Journal of Medicine, Clinical Neurology and Internal Medicine Volume 32, Number 3 / 2012, the authors review existing studies and point out that there is mounting evidence that consistently implicates arterial stiffness as a cause for impaired cognitive function and dementia in the elderly. The majority (85%) of the twelve studies comprising over 6,000 individuals found a significant association between increased vascular stiffness and cognitive impairment. Some data support the proposition that arterial stiffness causes a progression from normal cognitive function to mild cognitive impairment, to Alzheimer's disease, and then to vascular dementia. More ...
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