A silent heart threat may actually be endangering your brain

Want to keep your mind sharp? Be aggressive about treating your high blood pressure.

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If you're like a lot of people, you probably think of your heart when you think about blood pressure. But you should also think about your mind.

"High blood pressure is not just a disease or condition. It's actually a risk factor. It's a risk factor for heart disease and stroke, and it's a risk factor for cognitive decline and dementia," says Dr. Natalia Rost, a stroke neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School.