Fluctuating blood pressure may signal risk to the brain

New research warns that dynamic instability in BP may strain blood vessels and harm areas key to memory

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Older adults whose blood pressure fluctuates widely may indicate a greater risk of brain shrinkage and nerve cell injury, according to a new study.

The study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, reveals that short-term “dynamic instability” in blood pressure — moment-to-moment changes measured over just minutes — is linked to loss of brain tissue in regions critical for memory and cognition, as well as to blood biomarkers of nerve cell damage.