High blood pressure in midlife is linked to increased brain damage in later life. Higher than normal blood pressure is linked to more extensive brain damage in the elderly, according to a new study. In particular, the study found that there was a strong association between diastolic blood pressure (The blood pressure between heart beats) before the age of 50 and brain damage in later life, even if the diastolic blood pressure was within what is normally considered to be a healthy range. Source 1j.