Section I: Blood Pressure and Hypertension as Antecedents of Stroke Chapter 1: Blood pressure: definition, diagnosis and management (Raymond R. Townsend, Susan P Steigerwalt) Chapter 2: The link between hypertension and stroke: Summary of observational epidemiological studies (Youji Soga and Dilip K. Pandey) Chapter 3: Blood pressure control and primary prevention of stroke: Summary of clinical trial data (William J. Elliott) Section II: Mechanisms of Hypertension and Hypertension-Related Stroke Chapter 4: Mechanisms Underlying Essential Hypertension: Neurogenic and Non-Neurogenic Contributors (Scott H. Carlson and J Michael Wyss) Chapter 5: Pathophysiology and Mechanisms Whereby Hypertension May Cause Stroke (Hee-Joon Bae and Lawrence K.S. Wong) Section III: Management of Blood Pressure for First Stroke Prevention, Immediately after Acute Stroke, and for Recurrent Stroke Prevention Chapter 6: Cardiovascular risk assessment and summary of guidelines for the management of hypertension (Tamara Polonsky and George Bakris) Chapter 7: Acute Blood Pressure Management after Ischemic Stroke (Venkatesh Aiyagari) Chapter 8: Hypertensive encephalopathy and Acute Blood Pressure Management after Hemorrhagic Stroke (Rebbeca A. Grysiewicz and Sean D. Ruland) Chapter 9: Recurrent Stroke Prevention I: Diuretics and Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors (ACEIs) – The PROGRESS Trial Results (Thomas KA Linden and Geoffrey A. Donnan) Chapter 10: Recurrent Stroke Prevention II: Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARBs) – The LIFE, MOSES and PROFESS Trials (Venkatesh Aiyagari and Philip B. Gorelick) Chapter 11: A Practical Guide to Recurrent Stroke Prevention (Laura Pedelty) Section IV: Mechanisms and Sequelae of Elevated Blood Pressure on Brain Function and Cognition Chapter 12: Vascular Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer Disease: Are These Disorders Linked to Hypertension and Other Cardiovascular Risk Factors? (Fernando D. Testai and Philip B. Gorelick) Chapter 13: Cerebral Small Vessel Disease, Hypertension and Cognitive Function (Elizabeth K. Geary and David L. Nyenhuis) Chapter 14: Cerebral microbleeds, small-vessel disease of the brain, hypertension and cognition (Anand Viswanathan, Hugues Chabriat and Steven M. Greenberg) Chapter 15: Imaging Effects of Hypertension on the Brain: A Focus on New Imaging Modalities and Options (Deborah M. Little, Evan Schulze, Nilay Shah and Shanele McGowan) Section V: Organization of Stroke Care Chapter 16: The Joint Commission’s Initiatives to Improve Stroke Care and What it Means for Acute Stroke Care and Prevention (Wende Fedder)