Captopril and Enalapril Improve Cognition and Depressed Mood in Hypertensive Patients

Abstract

Untreated hypertensive patients scored lower than normotensive controls in cognitive tests and significantly worse in cumulative recall (P < 0.05) and paired words association (P < 0.01). When compared with normotensive subjects, untreated hypertensive patients also scored significantly higher on the depression with anxiety subscale in HSC (P < 0.05). No significant influence of hypertension was found in any other examined aspect of cognition and mood. In most cases captopril improved and enalapril reversed the adverse memory effects of hypertension. High arterial blood pressure is significantly associated with an impairment of cognition and the occurrence of depression with anxiety in humans. Enalapril and, to a lesser extent, captopril reversed these deficits.