High Blood Pressure’s Early Effects on the Brain and Memory
Tue Feb 03 2026
High blood pressure is one of the most common and treatable risk factors for cognitive decline, and researchers are still working to understand exactly how it affects the brain. A preclinical study from Weill Cornell Medicine, published in Neuron, suggests hypertension may trigger early gene expression changes in the brain, affecting neurons, blood vessels, and white matter before there’s any measurable rise in blood pressure.
Dr. Costantino Iadecola, the study’s senior author, is a neurologist and the director of the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medicine. His research examines how brain blood vessels support cognition and what happens when that system is disrupted by vascular risk factors like hypertension.
In this interview with Being Patient’s Mark Niu, Iadecola explains that in a controlled mouse model, researchers saw changes in blood vessels within days of triggering hypertension. He notes that high blood pressure is part of a broader process that can quietly affect multiple organs, including the brain, before obvious symptoms appear. He also discusses why controlling blood pressure dramatically reduces stroke risk but may not lower dementia risk as much as hoped, suggesting prevention may need to start earlier and be more individualized. For now, he emphasizes improving diet, staying active, and taking medication when appropriate to manage blood pressure.
If you loved listening to this Live Talk, visit our website to find more of our Alzheimer’s coverage and subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.beingpatient.com/Follow Being Patient: Twitter: / being_patient_ Instagram: / beingpatientvoices Facebook: / beingpatientalzheimers LinkedIn: / being-patient Being Patient is an editorially independent journalism outlet for news and reporting about brain health, cognitive science, and neurodegenerative diseases. In our Live Talk series on Facebook, former Wall Street Journal Editor and founder of Being Patient, Deborah Kan, interviews brain health experts and people living with dementia. Check out our latest Live Talks: https://beingpatient.com/live-talks/
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High blood pressure is one of the most common and treatable risk factors for cognitive decline, and researchers are still working to understand exactly how it affects the brain. A preclinical study from Weill Cornell Medicine, published in Neuron, suggests hypertension may trigger early gene expression changes in the brain, affecting neurons, blood vessels, and white matter before there’s any measurable rise in blood pressure. Dr. Costantino Iadecola, the study’s senior author, is a neurologist and the director of the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medicine. His research examines how brain blood vessels support cognition and what happens when that system is disrupted by vascular risk factors like hypertension. In this interview with Being Patient’s Mark Niu, Iadecola explains that in a controlled mouse model, researchers saw changes in blood vessels within days of triggering hypertension. He notes that high blood pressure is part of a broader process that can quietly affect multiple organs, including the brain, before obvious symptoms appear. He also discusses why controlling blood pressure dramatically reduces stroke risk but may not lower dementia risk as much as hoped, suggesting prevention may need to start earlier and be more individualized. For now, he emphasizes improving diet, staying active, and taking medication when appropriate to manage blood pressure. If you loved listening to this Live Talk, visit our website to find more of our Alzheimer’s coverage and subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.beingpatient.com/Follow Being Patient: Twitter: / being_patient_ Instagram: / beingpatientvoices Facebook: / beingpatientalzheimers LinkedIn: / being-patient Being Patient is an editorially independent journalism outlet for news and reporting about brain health, cognitive science, and neurodegenerative diseases. In our Live Talk series on Facebook, former Wall Street Journal Editor and founder of Being Patient, Deborah Kan, interviews brain health experts and people living with dementia. Check out our latest Live Talks: https://beingpatient.com/live-talks/