Treating high blood pressure gives youth significant improvement in planning and problem-solving skills.

Planning, vigilance, problem solving, purposeful goal-directed behavior and working memory are all components of executive function. A small study of 22 youth with high blood pressure, or hypertension, (compared with 25 youth with normal blood pressure) has found that after one year of anti-hypertensive treatment, their ability to do executive functions significantly improved as their blood pressure normalized.

PositiveTip: It may be very important for you and your pediatrician to routinely monitor the blood pressure of children and teens in your home. Treatment could be vital for maintaining executive functions.