Objectives: The aims of the present study were to investigate the effect of hypertension and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) genotypes on cognitive event-related potentials (ERPs), and whether the impact of ACE genotypes on P300 is related to the influence of hypertension.
Methods: Using the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI), we recruited 97 mentally healthy middle-aged and older adults. Medical histories were collected, and blood pressure, ACE insertion/deletion polymorphisms and ERPs in an auditory oddball task were measured for all participants.
Results: When the participants were stratified according to the presence or absence of hypertension, there were no differences in CASI score, percentage of ACE genotypes and ERPs. The subjects with the D/D homozygote displayed lower amplitude and longer latency of P300, although there were no differences in CASI score and the percentage of hypertension.
Conclusions: The subjects with the D/D genotype tended to have decreased amplitude and prolonged latency of P300 ERPs which reflected subtle cognitive impairment. There were no associations between hypertension, CASI score and P300 measurements.
Significance: Using ERPs, potential cognitive decline was linked to ACE genotypes, independently of the effect of hypertension.
Keywords: Angiotensin-converting enzyme gene; Cognitive event-related potentials; Hypertension; P300.
Copyright © 2015 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.