It’s common knowledge that having consistently high blood pressure can increase your chances of developing heart disease.
But what is only now coming to light is how certain fluctuations in blood pressure can be an indicator of reduced heart and brain health.
That’s where UNE Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, Dr Phillip Tully, is focusing his research. He has been part of important research done in collaboration with the University of South Australia, which aims to improve our understanding of using blood pressure variability as a potential clinical marker for dementia and cognitive decline.
Throughout the day, a person’s blood pressure fluctuates in response to activity, rest, posture change, and even meals. While these fluctuations are completely normal for the most part, fluctuations while at rest could be an indicator of changes in cardiovascular processes. “It is theorised that larger blood pressure fluctuations are linked to difficulties maintaining a constant blood pressure in the brain, which may affect blood vessels in the brain and cognitive function,” says Dr Tully.
A greater understanding of the role of blood pressure in brain health has universal benefits across age groups, genders, and cultures.
“A greater understanding of the role of blood pressure in brain health has universal benefits across age groups, genders, and cultures, because high systolic blood pressure is a leading modifiable cause of mortality, chronic disease, and disability worldwide.”
The study recruited 70 participants aged 60-80 years old and examined both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure is the pressure within the arteries when the heart beats and diastolic pressure is the pressure in the arteries when the heart is at rest between heartbeats. Examining both these readings was critical for the study as fluctuations in systolic blood pressure when individuals were awake were connected to difficulties in maintaining attention and thinking abilities, while fluctuations in diastolic blood pressure during sleep were related to slower responses and increased processing times.
Dr Phillip Tully.
International collaboration
Collaboration breeds innovation and this study is no different. This research was performed at Professor Hannah Keage’s Cognitive Ageing and Impairment Neurosciences (CAIN) lab which is part of the University of South Australia’s Behaviour-Brain-Body Research Centre (BBB). UNE has contacts globally and Dr Tully places great importance on developing professional connections.
“Having worked with people all over the world, I view collaboration as essential to perform research that has wide appeal. I also like to give my PhD students the opportunity for lab visits interstate and overseas to broaden their networks,” says Dr Tully.
This research is being continued by Clinical Psychology PhD students at UNE, supervised by Dr Tully.
“Yuvi Lutchman is currently recruiting patients in Sydney for her thesis which evaluates the relationship between the central blood pressure variability, readings taken from the heart itself, and a person’s levels of depression, anxiety, and cognitive function. “
Dr Tully is an internationally recognised leading expert in blood pressure variability and brain health and was acting as a co-supervisor for this study. Performing research that translates directly to patient care and clinical practice guidelines is what motivates Dr Tully: “My prior work in this field was incorporated into guidelines by the World Health Organisation, American Heart Association, American Stroke Association and the European Stroke Organisation”.
Dr Tully has a particular interest in providing psychological care for people with cardiovascular diseases founded from a key work experience: “During my Masters I was working at the Flinders Medical Centre cardiac surgery research department and performed assessments of cognitive function, delirium, depression, and anxiety. From this, it was clear how much need there is for mental health care tailored to patients with heart disease. It quickly became my clinical speciality and I thoroughly enjoy working with these patients,” says Dr Tully.
This study was published in Cerebral Circulation - Cognition and Behavior earlier this year.
