{"id":13260,"date":"2023-03-29T13:53:15","date_gmt":"2023-03-29T08:23:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/freelims.org\/?page_id=13260"},"modified":"2023-03-29T13:56:50","modified_gmt":"2023-03-29T08:26:50","slug":"world-first-study-reveals-the-imapct-of-high-blood-pressure-on-brain-changes","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/freelims.org\/world-first-study-reveals-the-imapct-of-high-blood-pressure-on-brain-changes\/","title":{"rendered":"World-First Study Identifies Brain Changes Caused by High Blood Pressure"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”13261″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_custom_heading text=”World-First Study Identifies Brain Changes Caused by High Blood Pressure” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]Date: <\/b>29 March\u00a0 2023<\/span>
\nSource: <\/b>www.technologynetworks.com<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A new study has, for the first time, identified specific brain areas damaged by high blood pressure.<\/span><\/p>\n

The research, published in the <\/span>European Heart Journal<\/span><\/i><\/a>, suggests that this damage may contribute to mental decline and eventually dementia.<\/span><\/p>\n

Powerful data source to understand high blood pressure<\/b><\/h2>\n

High blood pressure <\/span>affects<\/span><\/a> over one billion people globally and less than half of that population has been diagnosed and treated. It is well known that high blood pressure can affect <\/span>brain function<\/span><\/a> and produce long-lasting changes, but the exact mechanisms behind these changes have remained unclear.<\/span><\/p>\n

The new study utilized a large data source of brain imaging data comprising 30,000 participants in the UK Biobank study, each of whom underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. This was paired with genetic information from the Biobank, Cognitive Genomics Consortium (COGENT) and the International Consortium for Blood Pressure. Together, these data were used to determine differences in cognitive function from the scans, and, using a technique called mendelian randomization, whether high blood pressure caused these alterations, or whether it was simply associated with them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Professor Tomasz Guzik, chair of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, and the study\u2019s senior author, said, \u201cWe have identified specific parts of the brain that are affected by increases in blood pressure, including areas called the putamen and specific white matter regions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In total, Guzik and colleagues identified nine areas of the brain that showed blood pressure-related alterations. Notable regions affected included:<\/span><\/p>\n