Blood pressure may be more than an average number: sudden fluctuations throughout the day can independently raise the risk of heart disease, stroke and brain damage, even when a person’s average reading is within the normal range. Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have identified a small group of brainstem nerve cells that appears to help keep blood pressure stable as people move between activities such as sleeping, waking, standing and exercising.
The brain mechanism behind blood pressure instability
The brainstem controls essential involuntary functions, including the systems that regulate blood pressure. The newly studied nerve cells appear to limit changes in blood pressure from moment to moment.
“What we found is that even if your average blood pressure is normal, the loss of just a few hundred nerve cells causes your blood pressure to become unstable,” said UVA’s Dr. Stephen Abbott, the study’s principal investigator. “This indicates that the system that keeps blood pressure constant from moment to moment is no longer working.”
The same nerve cells were previously found to be damaged or absent in people with multiple system atrophy, a rare and fatal neurological disorder associated with Parkinson’s disease. Multiple system atrophy often causes severe problems with blood pressure regulation.
The new findings raise the possibility that disruptions involving these brain cells may also contribute to unstable blood pressure in other medical conditions, even when standard measurements show a normal average. A better understanding of this mechanism could eventually help researchers develop treatments designed to reduce harmful blood pressure variation and protect against its potential consequences.
“Our study highlights a new understanding of how we think about blood pressure issues,” Abbott said. “It’s not just about lowering the numbers, it’s important to keep blood pressure stable from moment to moment.”
Potential implications for blood pressure treatment
The research results were published in the scientific journal Circulation Research. The research team included George MPR Souza, Harsha Thakkalapally, Faye E. Berry, Leah F. Wisniewski, Ulrich M. Atongazi, Daniel S. Stornetta and Abbott. The researchers reported no financial benefits related to the study.
The work was funded by the National Institutes of Health through grant HL148004.
The discovery also reflects the broader goals of the University of Virginia’s new Paul and Diane Manning Institute for Biotechnology. The institute focuses on advancing research into difficult and complex diseases and helping translate promising clinical test results into potentially life-saving treatments for patients.
Source: www.sciencedaily.com
