Home › Research › Digital health tools
Impaired Cognition and Brain Atrophy Decades After Hypertensive Pregnancy Disorders
Mielke MM, Milic NM, Weissgerber TL, White WM, Kantarci K, Mosley TH, Windham BG, Simpson BN et al.. Circulation. Cardiovascular quality and outcomes, 2016-02-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Background Hypertensive pregnancy disorders have been associated with subjective cognitive complaints or brain white-matter lesions 5 to 10 years after the hypertensive pregnancy. The long-term effects of hypertensive pregnancies on brain structure and cognitive function remain unknown. Methods and results This study included 1279 women who participated in the Family Blood Pressure Project Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy (GENOA) study. As part of the ancillary Genetics of Microangiopathic Brain Injury (GMBI) study, a neurocognitive battery was administered; 1075 also had a brain magnetic resonance imaging. A history of a hypertensive pregnancy disorder was obtained by a self-report using a validated questionnaire. Linear models fit with generalized estimating equations were used to assess the association between hypertensive pregnancy disorders and cognition, adjusting for age, race, education, body mass index, smoking, current hypertension, hypertension duration, and family history of hypertension. Regression models for the brain magnetic resonance imaging outcomes also were adjusted for total intracranial volume. Women with histories of hypertensive pregnancy disorders performed worse on all measures of processing speed (Digital Symbol Substitution Test [mean score, 41.2 versus 43.4; P=0.005], Trail Making Test Part A [mean seconds, 45.1 versus 42.2; P=0.035], and Stroop [mean score, 173.9 versus 181.0; P=0.002]) and had smaller brain volumes compared with women with histories of normotensive pregnancies (286 versus 297; P=0.023). Conclusions Hypertensive pregnancy disorders are associated with worse performance on tests of processing speed and smaller brain volumes decades later. Population-based studies are needed to provide critical insight as to the contribution of hypertensive pregnancies to risk of cognitive decline and dementia.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Mielke, M. M., Milic, N. M., Weissgerber, T. L., White, W. M., Kantarci, K., Mosley, T. H., et al. (2016). Impaired Cognition and Brain Atrophy Decades After Hypertensive Pregnancy Disorders. Circulation. Cardiovascular quality and outcomes. https://doi.org/10.1161/circoutcomes.115.002461
Vancouver
Mielke MM, Milic NM, Weissgerber TL, White WM, Kantarci K, Mosley TH, et al. Impaired Cognition and Brain Atrophy Decades After Hypertensive Pregnancy Disorders. Circulation. Cardiovascular quality and outcomes. 2016. doi:10.1161/circoutcomes.115.002461. PMID: 26908863.
BibTeX
@article{mielke2016-26908863,
author = {Mielke, M. M. and Milic, N. M. and Weissgerber, T. L. and White, W. M. and Kantarci, K. and Mosley, T. H. and Windham, B. G. and Simpson, B. N. and others},
title = {{Impaired Cognition and Brain Atrophy Decades After Hypertensive Pregnancy Disorders}},
journal = {Circulation. Cardiovascular quality and outcomes},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.1161/circoutcomes.115.002461},
pmid = {26908863},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1161/circoutcomes.115.002461}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Background Hypertensive pregnancy disorders have been associated with subjective cognitive complaints or brain white-matter lesions 5 to 10 years after the hypertensive pregnancy.
- Methods and results This study included 1279 women who participated in the Family Blood Pressure Project Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy (GENOA) study.
- Women with histories of hypertensive pregnancy disorders performed worse on all measures of processing speed (Digital Symbol Substitution Test [mean score, 41.2 versus 43.4; P=0.005], Trail Making Test Part A [mean seconds, 45.1 versus 42.2; P=0.035], and Stroop [mean score, 173.9 versus 181.0; P=0.002]) and had smaller brain volumes compared with women with histories of normotensive pregnancies (286 versus 297; P=0.023).
- Conclusions Hypertensive pregnancy disorders are associated with worse performance on tests of processing speed and smaller brain volumes decades later.
Why it matters
This study of 1279 women found that those with a history of hypertensive pregnancy disorders performed worse on measures of processing speed and had signs of brain atrophy decades later. It identifies an association with cardiovascular history but does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Digital health →
Study details
- Participants1,279
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 50/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Circulation. Cardiovascular quality and outcomes) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | Circulation Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes: journal h-index 138 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2016 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 1,279 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 118 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 9.8 citations a year over 12 year(s) since 2016 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 11.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 5 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 46 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Vesna D. Garovic: h-index 65 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Mayo Clinic: institution h-index 1,606 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 26908863) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 50 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1161/circoutcomes.115.002461
- PubMed: 26908863
- Original source →
- Free full text: Circulation Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Later studies that cite this one
5 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references.
Related studies in Digital health tools
Also tagged “reproductive-history-and-cognition”
3 studies in the library carry the topic tag “reproductive-history-and-cognition”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 3 tagged studies.