TY - JOUR T1 - Blood pressure and the brain: the neurology of hypertension JF - Practical Neurology JO - Pract Neurol SP - 100 LP - 108 DO - 10.1136/practneurol-2019-002269 VL - 20 IS - 2 AU - Dearbhla M Kelly AU - Peter M Rothwell Y1 - 2020/04/01 UR - http://pn.bmj.com/content/20/2/100.abstract N2 - Hypertension affects more than one in four adults. The brain is an early target of hypertension-induced organ damage, and may manifest as stroke, subclinical cerebrovascular abnormalities and dementia. Hypertension-related small vessel disease can cause vascular dementia and can potentiate Alzheimer’s pathology, lowering the threshold at which signs and symptoms manifest. Many hypertensive emergencies may also have a neurological presentation, such as hypertensive encephalopathy, haemorrhagic stroke or pre-eclampsia. Here we highlight the importance of blood pressure in maintaining brain health and the brain’s role in controlling blood pressure. ER -