Skip to main content
British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology logoLink to British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
. 1993 Feb;35(2):105–113. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.1993.tb05675.x

The effects of anti-hypertensive medication on learning and memory.

J Powell 1, A Pickering 1, M Wyke 1, T Goggin 1
PMCID: PMC1381500  PMID: 8443027

Abstract

1. The aim of the study was to investigate whether there were differential effects of three different anti-hypertensive medications (cilazapril, atenolol, nifedipine) on cognitive function. 2. A sub-group of patients participating in a large clinical trial of these three drugs, randomly allocated between the three drug conditions, received cognitive assessment at two points before the commencement of treatment and then after 12 and 24 weeks of treatment. Seventy-six patients began treatment, and 55 completed the full course. 3. Tests of learning and memory were designed specially for the study, with a different but comparable version administered on each assessment occasion, in a fixed order. 4. No significant differences between drug groups were found in any index of learning or memory, at any testing occasion. The results were the same whether or not treatment non-completers were included in the analysis.

Full text

PDF
105

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Ames R. P. The effects of antihypertensive drugs on serum lipids and lipoproteins, I. Diuretics. Drugs. 1986 Sep;32(3):260–278. doi: 10.2165/00003495-198632030-00003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Ames R. P. The effects of antihypertensive drugs on serum lipids and lipoproteins. II. Non-diuretic drugs. Drugs. 1986 Oct;32(4):335–357. doi: 10.2165/00003495-198632040-00003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Costall B., Coughlan J., Horovitz Z. P., Kelly M. E., Naylor R. J., Tomkins D. M. The effects of ACE inhibitors captopril and SQ29,852 in rodent tests of cognition. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 1989 Jul;33(3):573–579. doi: 10.1016/0091-3057(89)90390-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Croog S. H., Levine S., Testa M. A., Brown B., Bulpitt C. J., Jenkins C. D., Klerman G. L., Williams G. H. The effects of antihypertensive therapy on the quality of life. N Engl J Med. 1986 Jun 26;314(26):1657–1664. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198606263142602. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Deary I. J., Capewell S., Hajducka C., Muir A. L. The effects of captopril vs atenolol on memory, information processing and mood: a double-blind crossover study. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 1991 Sep;32(3):347–353. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.1991.tb03910.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Fletcher A. E., Bulpitt C. J., Chase D. M., Collins W. C., Furberg C. D., Goggin T. K., Hewett A. J., Neiss A. M. Quality of life with three antihypertensive treatments. Cilazapril, atenolol, nifedipine. Hypertension. 1992 Jun;19(6 Pt 1):499–507. doi: 10.1161/01.hyp.19.6.499. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Frcka G., Lader M. Psychotropic effects of repeated doses of enalapril, propranolol and atenolol in normal subjects. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 1988 Jan;25(1):67–73. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.1988.tb03283.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hartley L. R., Ungapen S., Davie I., Spencer D. J. The effect of beta adrenergic blocking drugs on speakers' performance and memory. Br J Psychiatry. 1983 May;142:512–517. doi: 10.1192/bjp.142.5.512. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hedner T., Elmfeldt D., Von Schenck H., Sjögren E., Smith U. Glucose tolerance in hypertensive patients during treatment with the calcium antagonist, felodipine. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 1987 Aug;24(2):145–149. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.1987.tb03155.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kaplan N. M. Problems with the use of diuretics in the treatment of hypertension. Am J Nephrol. 1986;6(1):1–5. doi: 10.1159/000167045. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Lichter I., Richardson P. J., Wyke M. A. Differential effects of atenolol and enalapril on memory during treatment for essential hypertension. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 1986 Jun;21(6):641–645. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.1986.tb05228.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. McDevitt D. G., Currie D., Nicholson A. N., Wright N. A., Zetlein M. B. Central effects of the calcium antagonist, nifedipine. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 1991 Nov;32(5):541–549. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.1991.tb03949.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Murphy M. B., Lewis P. J., Kohner E., Schumer B., Dollery C. T. Glucose intolerance in hypertensive patients treated with diuretics; a fourteen-year follow-up. Lancet. 1982 Dec 11;2(8311):1293–1295. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(82)91506-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Olajide D., Lader M. Psychotropic effects of enalapril maleate in normal volunteers. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 1985;86(3):374–376. doi: 10.1007/BF00432232. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Pollare T., Lithell H., Berne C. A comparison of the effects of hydrochlorothiazide and captopril on glucose and lipid metabolism in patients with hypertension. N Engl J Med. 1989 Sep 28;321(13):868–873. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198909283211305. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Richardson P. J., Wyke M. A. Memory function--effects of different antihypertensive drugs. Drugs. 1988;35 (Suppl 5):80–85. doi: 10.2165/00003495-198800355-00014. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Skinner M. H., Futterman A., Morrissette D., Thompson L. W., Hoffman B. B., Blaschke T. F. Atenolol compared with nifedipine: effect on cognitive function and mood in elderly hypertensive patients. Ann Intern Med. 1992 Apr 15;116(8):615–623. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-116-8-615. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Solomon S., Hotchkiss E., Saravay S. M., Bayer C., Ramsey P., Blum R. S. Impairment of memory function by antihypertensive medication. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1983 Oct;40(10):1109–1112. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.1983.01790090071011. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Steiner S. S., Friedhoff A. J., Wilson B. L., Wecker J. R., Santo J. P. Antihypertensive therapy and quality of life: a comparison of atenolol, captopril, enalapril and propranolol. J Hum Hypertens. 1990 Jun;4(3):217–225. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology are provided here courtesy of British Pharmacological Society

RESOURCES