Alzheimer's Association Funds Two-Year Extension of the SPRINT MIND Study

The Alzheimer's Association has awarded more than $800,000 to support a two-year extension of the SPRINT MIND Study , which will further explore how intensive blood pressure treatment effects the risk of dementia, reports EurekAlert . The study's results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association , and it represents the first randomized clinical trial demonstrating that intensive treatment to lower blood pressure can reduce the occurrence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). SPRINT MIND compared two hypertension management strategies, aggressive and standard care, in cognitively healthy older adults. The aggressive strategy used a systolic blood pressure goal of less than 120 mm Hg, while the standard care approach used a goal of less than 140 mm Hg. The researchers determined the estimated reduction in risk was in the same direction and of the same magnitude as MCI, but it was not statistically significant. The researchers said the success of the heart disease portion of the trial led to early termination of intervention, so the study's duration was not sufficient to definitively address the dementia issue. The SPRINT MIND 2.0 extension will re-engage the first trial's participants, with two years of follow-up and assessment added to allow for a more definitive conclusion.