Difficulty, effort and cardiovascular response to a working memory challenge: Older adults with and without mild cognitive impairment

•We presented cognitively healthy older adults and patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) more and less difficult versions of a memory task.•Systolic blood pressure responses rose with difficulty among cognitively healthy older adults, but not among MCI patients.•Findings are discussed in relation to an analysis concerned with ability determinants of effort and associated cardiovascular responses.

We presented cognitively healthy older adults and patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) three versions of a modified Sternberg memory task designed to range in difficulty from low to high. Among cognitively healthy older adults, blood pressure responses assessed during the work periods rose with difficulty. By contrast, among MCI patients, blood pressure responses assessed during the work periods were low irrespective of difficulty. Findings are discussed primarily in relation to a conceptual analysis concerned with ability determinants of effort (task engagement) and associated cardiovascular responses. They also are discussed in the context of other recent cardiovascular studies involving older adults and with regard to the potential for exaggerated cardiovascular responses to accelerate cognitive decline in advanced age.