1994 Volume 17 Issue SupplementI Pages S63-S69
In mild hypertensive patients, regional cerebral blood flow measured by positron emission tomography was reduced in the frontal cortex and basal ganglia. In moderate-severe hypertensive patients, cerebral oxygen metabolism was diminished, although they were neurologically intact. In elderly hypertensives, white matter lesions by brain imaging were more frequently observed and their cognitive function was impaired, compared to those in age-matched normotensives. Local cerebral blood flow was decreased in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Spatial memory and learning at maze test were more greatly impaired in aged SHR, which was related to decreased cerebral glucose utilization in hippocumpus, basal ganglia etc. Long-term antihypertensive treatment in SHR improved cerebral blood flow, media thickness of cerebral arteries and cognitive function. Cerebral circulation and metabolism in chronic brain infarction were different from those in non-infarcted patients. In human as well as animals, long-standing hypertension per se leads to reduction of cerebral blood flow, metabolism, and cognitive function. (Hypertens Res 1994; 17 Suppl. I: S63-S69)
