Brain Region Linked to High Blood Pressure in New Study

University of Auckland scientists have identified a part of the brain that appears to play a central role in high blood pressure. The lateral parafacial region is located in the brainstem, which is known for controlling automatic body functions such as breathing, heart rate, and digestion. Their research shows that this same area may also be responsible for activating nerves that constrict blood vessels, leading to elevated blood pressure.

According to Professor Julian Paton, co-author on the study published in Circulation Research, the lateral parafacial region becomes active during certain types of breathing, such as exhalations that occur while laughing, exercising, or coughing. These are described as “forced” exhalations because they engage the abdominal muscles, unlike regular breathing, which happens naturally due to the lungs’ elasticity.

The study found that in individuals with high blood pressure, this region of the brain is activated, contributing to the tightening of blood vessels. When researchers inactivated the lateral parafacial region, blood pressure returned to normal levels. “We’ve unearthed a new region of the brain that is causing high blood pressure. Yes, the brain is to blame for hypertension!” said Paton. This discovery suggests that breathing patterns involving strong abdominal muscle use could trigger or worsen hypertension. Identifying such breathing activity in patients might help guide future treatments tailored to the underlying cause.

The team also investigated whether this brainstem region could be targeted with drugs. Paton explained that directly treating the brain with medication can be challenging because drugs tend to act on the entire brain rather than specific areas. However, the team discovered that the lateral parafacial region is activated by signals from the carotid bodies—small clusters of cells in the neck that monitor oxygen levels in the blood.

Because these carotid bodies can be safely reached by medication, the researchers are working with a repurposed drug designed to suppress their activity. “Our goal is to target the carotid bodies, and we are importing a new drug that is being repurposed by us to quench carotid body activity and inactivate ‘remotely’ the lateral parafacial region safely,” said Paton. This approach may lead to new therapeutic strategies for hypertension, especially among people affected by sleep apnea, where carotid bodies are activated when breathing stops during sleep.