High blood pressure: the cause was hidden in the brain

Hyperactive nerve cells in the hypothalamus — a key regulator of the brain's neuroendocrine activity — are capable of triggering the development of hypertension. This discovery was made by scientists from the University of Missouri and the University of Oxford. The results of the study were published in the journal Cardiovascular Research (CRes).

High blood pressure remains among the main risk factors for stroke and heart attack. It has traditionally been associated with unhealthy lifestyle, kidney pathologies, or hormonal imbalances. Meanwhile, the involvement of the nervous system in the development of hypertension remained poorly studied.

During experiments on rats, researchers focused their attention on neurons of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus — a brain region that controls the "fight or flight" stress response and the functioning of the sympathetic nervous system. These particular cells regulate the production of corticotropin — a hormone that participates in the body's response to stress and affects the heart and blood vessels.

In rodents with primary hypertension, scientists recorded abnormally high activity of these neurons. Signals from them were intensively transmitted to brainstem centers responsible for heart rate and vascular tone. Simultaneously, hyperactivation of neuroendocrine cells was observed, which serve as a connecting link between the nervous and hormonal systems.

When researchers artificially suppressed the activity of these cells, blood pressure in the experimental animals decreased. Additionally, they managed to identify a receptor that provides the connection between the hypothalamus and the sympathetic nervous system. According to the study authors, a drug blocking this mechanism could potentially become a new method for combating primary hypertension.