Schedule of Events | Symposia

Physiological Health vs. Cognitive Function: The Role of Blood Pressure, Heart Rate, and Pulse Oximetry

Poster Session F - Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 8:00 – 10:00 am EDT, Back Bay Ballroom/Republic Ballroom

Sinead Mukolo-Villegas¹, Deya Rassul¹, Emily Stripling¹, Michelle Johnson¹, Ashley Brooks¹, Emma Sells¹, Hannah Johnson¹, Michael D. Oliver, Ph.D.¹; ¹Belmont University

Investigations into the circulatory system help to better understand cognitive health. For example, both high blood pressure and low oxygen saturation are associated with cognitive impairment in middle and older adults. However, its effects on long-term cognitive decline are less understood in younger populations. As such, this study investigated the electrophysiological correlates of blood pressure and oxygen saturation on cognition in young adults. It was hypothesized that participants with higher blood pressure and/or lower pulse oximetry would demonstrate lower cognitive function, with reduced cortical activation. Blood pressure and pulse oximetry were measured in 50 college students before completing 2 randomized computerized tasks assessing selective attention and working memory, while brain activity was measured simultaneously using electroencephalography (EEG). Results revealed participants with higher systolic blood pressure exhibited prolonged P300 latencies on the working memory task (r=0.515, p=0.006) and diminished cortical responsiveness on the selective attention task (r=-0.495, p=0.003). Participants with higher pulse oximetry exhibited faster button presses during the Stroop Task (incongruent: r= 0.597, p<0.001; congruent: r= 0.418, p=0.012). Findings imply that early restrictions in blood flow and oxygen saturation may be harmful for cognitive performance by impairing the speed and strength of cortical processing and should be monitored throughout the lifespan.

Topic Area: METHODS: Electrophysiology