A new preclinical study by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine reveals that hypertension may begin harming the brain long before high blood pressure is even detectable. In experiments on mice, the team discovered that elevated levels of angiotensin triggered premature aging and dysfunction in brain cells — including blood‑vessel lining cells, interneurons, and oligodendrocytes — just days after the onset, well before measurable blood pressure increase.
These early molecular changes may undermine the blood‑brain barrier, disrupt neuronal communication, and impair myelin maintenance, potentially explaining why hypertension is strongly linked to cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and vascular cognitive impairment.
The study, published in Neuron, also showed that losartan — a commonly used angiotensin-receptor blocker — can reverse some of these cellular effects in the mouse model, pointing toward possibilities for therapies that protect both cardiovascular and cognitive health.