A study of cognitive functions in elderly men from the Arctic region of the Russian Federation with arterial hypertension using the auditory event-related potentials P300

AIM: To study the effect of arterial hypertension on cognitive functions by evaluating the auditory event-related potentials (ERP) Р300 in men aged 60–74 years from the Arctic region of the Russian Federation with the special emphasis on men receiving antihypertensive therapy with controlled arterial hypertension and those who either do not take antihypertensive drugs or take them both regularly and irregularly without controlling blood pressure. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 64 men with arterial hypertension and 19 men without hypertension (n=19) in Arkhangelsk. Registration of the Р300 and N2 components was performed using the Neuron-Spektr-4/VPM electroencephalograph (Neurosoft, Russia), utilizing the oddball paradigm. Blood pressure (BP) was measured with an automatic tonometer AD Medical UA-668 (Japan). RESULTS: In men without arterial hypertension and in those with controlled arterial hypertension, where the median values of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were within normal ranges, there were no differences in the latency (LT) of N2 and P300, nor in the magnitude of the P300 amplitude between these groups. In contrast, men who do not take antihypertensive drugs or receive antihypertensive therapy both regularly and irregularly without controlling their blood pressure, and who have SBP and DBP above normal values, showed an elongation of LT N2 in the parietal (P3), central (C3), and middle temporal (T3) sections on the left, and in the frontal section on the right (F4). There was also an elongation of LT P300 in the middle temporal region on the right (T4) and frontal regions on the right (F4), along with a decrease in the median values of the P300 amplitude in the anterior-temporal (F8, F7) parts of the brain. This indicates a deficit in attention, an increase in the time required for primary recognition and differentiation of signals, and a reduction in the speed of information processing and decision-making. CONCLUSION: In older men, SBP above 140 mmHg and DBP above 90 mmHg are associated with cognitive impairment as determined by the auditory event-related potentials P300.